Was Gary Ablett out of line meeting with Gold Coast?

Gary Ablett of Geelong breaks the tackle of Brent Stanton of Essendon. Slattery Images

Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett Jnr has copped some criticism this week after he was spotted at a Broadbeach apartment complex prior to a ‘secret’ meeting with Gold Coast officials.

The Geelong on-baller and his manager Liam Pickering were randomly spotted chatting with Gold Coast officials by Port Adelaide players who were coincidently staying at the same complex for a club training camp.

The unlikely coincidence which occurred to see Ablett sprung, only highlights the point this was meant to be a ‘secret’ meeting.

Indeed, the hush-hush nature of it all invites scepticism.

After all, if the two-time Premiership player and 2009 Brownlow Medallist was to up and leave Geelong, it would be a massive story. I dare say perhaps the biggest story in Australian sport for 2010.

Indeed, as we know, the Gold Coast don’t join the AFL until the 2011 season, so Ablett meeting their contingent over a year out from their league debut is certainly planning ahead.

But it needs to be, because should the deal go through, Gold Coast will shape their list and salary cap expenditure around Ablett.

Nevertheless, the timing of the meeting has attracted the ire of some, in particular Essendon coach Matthew Knights.

I should mention (if you somehow didn’t know already) Ablett is contracted with Geelong for the 2010 season before that deal expires, opening up the possibility of a move north in 2011.

But back to Knights who told SEN radio he would be ‘grossly disappointed’ if a player at his club followed Ablett’s lead heading to Queensland for a ‘secret’ meeting with a rival club.

Knights hypothetically added, “If you’re in a program and (for example) young Patrick (Ryder) was up there talking to the Gold Coast, while you’re in program and the day before you may have been looking into his eyes in the team meeting… I think that would be grossly disappointing and its something we’ve got to be careful with.”

But Geelong had fairly let him head to Queensland to visit his brother and father who reside up their nowadays and the club have shown little disappointment in his ensuing actions.

Nevertheless Geelong’s response may be tactful and it is probably fair to say most AFL coaches would feel a hint of what Knights is talking about.

But while loyalty to your coach and your club is one thing, you’ve got to look after yourself and Ablett isn’t out of line listening to Gold Coast’s pitch.

He would be crazy not to hear what Gold Coast had to offer, considering there are rumours he could become the league’s top earner with a contract on the table apparently worth around $1.5 to $1.6 million a season for four years.

And what is ignored is Ablett is doing this out of season, and while it was an opportunistic meeting, it hardly interferes with Geelong’s pre-season.

Had there been a meeting between the parties during the 2010 regular season after a Geelong game in Brisbane, for example, then it would be easy to argue his mind wouldn’t be on the job.

But Ablett and his management now have heard Gold Coast’s pitch and they can digest the information, make a decision based on it (either way) and then re-focus for 2010.

You would just hope Ablett can make a decision sooner rather than later, otherwise he could be hounded by journalists for most of the 2010 season, ala Kurt Tippett.

Nevertheless, Ablett deserves the right to listen to Gold Coast‘s pitch. And now is the ideal time to discuss it.

And while I, personally, can not see Ablett leaving Geelong, I can’t see the harm in him hearing what they’ve got to say either.