Gary Ablett has declared his commitment to Gold Coast and blames their poor AFL season on lost confidence.
The two-time Brownlow Medallist requested a trade back to Geelong late last year and his quiet performance when the Suns were thrashed by 102 points by GWS at the weekend prompted further talk that he may want out.
However Ablett offered reassurance to fans of the winless, struggling Suns ahead of their home round three clash with Hawthorn on Sunday.
“I kind of expected it (speculation), leading into the season after everything that happened in the offseason, with me asking for a trade,” Ablett told Gold Coast Sea FM.
“I think everyone knows my reasons why I had that conversation but at the same time I’m fully committed to the Suns – and I told them that.”
The former Suns skipper said the framework had been put in place for a successful year and mental lapses had let them down in their opening losses to Brisbane and GWS
“I’m looking forward to getting into the game (against Hawthorn) this week and I’m confident we will put in a better performance than in the first two rounds,” Ablett said.
“We believe in our brand of football, I think Rocket (coach Rodney Eade) has done a great job implementing the right drills at training.
“It wasn’t that long ago in the pre-season games we were playing some really good football, moving the ball well.
“I think the confidence in the group is a big thing. We didn’t start well against Brisbane and you could see the boys’ heads drop after that.
“We need to be competitive and give ourselves the opportunity of winning games”.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
Geelong has been crafty and creative in its list management and has quietly assembled a very exciting young group of midfielders and half-forwards.
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale will be looking to lead his team to a victory against Melbourne in what will be his 250th AFL game.
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
It could be a weekend for contenders to emerge, teams to hopefully break droughts, o and overall footy to have a party.
We’ve already seen what Jack Ginnivan is capable of at Collingwood with his ability to grasp big moments - how will he go against his former teammates?
