Watching Gary Ablett last year, I started to fear his longevity in the game would be affected by carrying his Gold Coast team. It would be a huge loss to footy.
If he doesn’t get some serious help in the engine room, the grind of being so far and away his side’s best performer will take an early toll.
I watched Ablett against the Saints during Round 1 and was blown away by his performance. He is the number one player in the comp by a distance.
He is kicking goals, chasing down tackles, winning the footy on the last line of defence, dominating stoppages. He is literally doing it all.
Last year, it seemed that every other game he clocked up 40-plus possessions, as well as equaling the all-time high with 53.
Another player might occasionally hit 40 with a few cheap stats thrown in, but not Gazza. His numbers are genuinely hard earned. He gets plenty of contested ball, breaks tackles, and takes contested marks. On the weekend he once again destroyed a hard tag.
No-one is matching his work rate right now. I had never in my life seen St Kilda tagger Clint Jones cramp up, but playing on the champ he was out on his feet.
Sam Gilbert stepped in to have a crack and the result was three goals in the last term, including that ripper from 40 around the corner.
And while that is phenomenal to watch, and great to write about, it is too much for one player to shoulder week in, week out.
It was a common perception that Gazza got a nice ride at Geelong with the other stars around him.
In some ways that was true. You couldn’t afford to focus totally on Ablett, as Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Joel Selwood or James Kelly would hurt you.
But at Gold Coast, Ablett has the polar opposite situation. That he has been able to take his own game to another level in response is testament not only to his ability but also his mental toughness.
But in having him shoulder such a load, the Suns can’t be allowed to wear the little champ out. Coach Guy McKenna has identified this, saying that Ablett will play more time forward this season to slightly lighten his workload.
The way I see it, his staggering numbers will be even stronger if he can get 25 to 30 possessions with about three goals attached.
A drop in his possession rate would be supplemented by the class added to the forward line, whether that means the champ kicking 50 goals for the year, or using his foot skills to set up teammates in better position.
That’s hardly going to be a downside for the Gold Coast.
At the same time, Ablett’s absence from the centre will demand and hopefully help drive the development of the midfielders around him. David Swallow, Karmichael Hunt, Harley Bennell, Michael Rischitelli, Trent McKenzie and Jaeger O’Meara are the next tier.
The situation is unique in the AFL, with such a superstar playing at a level so far above the teammates around him. Gazza is carrying the side as well as trying to develop his young teammates.
He’s talking and directing, giving instructions about set-ups, planning passages of play and ball movement from defence, as well as trying to win the footy himself.
It has been a huge job, but at least at times during the NAB Cup and in Round 1 we saw that others are starting to share a little more of the responsibility.
The real test for Gold Coast will be when Gary is next rested or misses with injury. We will all judge the pure development of the group at this time.
As for Gary, given his competitive nature, it may be hard to get him to relinquish any responsibility. But he’ll ultimately have to accept those instructions, as they will only improve the group as a whole in the longer term.
Everyone loves a champion, particularly a good-natured and humble one like Gaz. With luck and good management, we’ll be able to enjoy seeing him play for the full quota of his career.
For the sake of football, let’s hope the Gold Coast get it right.
JD
Guest
A while Back IMO
woobliesfan
Guest
Nice one mate
Macca
Guest
DEon't get too far ahead, they will still have some inconsistencies this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see them lose to a Melb, Port or Bulldogs and push some of the teams looking at finals.
bruski
Roar Pro
I get to Every Suns home game. Let me tell you that the boys around Gazz are picking up the slack, gone are the days when they look up and just give it to Gazz. Against the Saints they were not just giving it to Gazz, in fact he had to find a lot of the ball himself, look at the # of contested possessions. Not only did Ablett have an astronomic game on Saturday, the work from the rest of the team was equal to the task. The Suns did play like a team, we were spreading, passes were way out in front of leading players (both things did not happen last year). Our D is a lot better with Broughton and Murphy joining our list, this also takes the pressure off along with the emergence of Thompson as a gun Key defender. Our fitness is also a lot better, this makes a difference too! Another point to note, when Ablett was out last year our midfield worked the best it ever had, the young players realised that they could play and did not have to pass to Gazz every time they got the ball. The Suns are more than Ablett, we are just very lucky that he is a part of us and I am really happy that I get to see him play week in and week out. I think that by the end of the year everyone will agree that the Suns are legitimate and not just a one man team.
Deep Thinker
Guest
As a tragic Geelong supporter - how I wish we still had him in our midfield. The first quarter and a half capitulation against Freo may never have happened and another Geelong flag would have been odds on.
WoobliesFan
Guest
Good article. That St Kilda win was a turning point for the Suns.... Something special has been brewing for sometime now and its finally caught traction. You can feel...its in the air. I'm driving from Brissie and I'm taking my family to the next home game. As a very casual AFL supporter, I love what Ablett did on the weekend. I can't let him down....Metricon here I come.
Sully
Guest
Pretty sure he's gone past Chris Judd
Macca
Guest
I agree Tom - I don't think anyone will be resting players against the Suns this year, especially at Metricon, they are still in the bracket of "should win" for all but the bottom few sides but it will take some work. On Ablett I think over the past couple of years at the Suns he has benefitted a bit from other teams not tagging him as hard (ie you tag him and cut him from 40 to 30 possessions or tag a another midfielder and take them out of the game altogether) but this year with the younger players getting a fitness and strength base beneath them he will benefit becasuse he doesn't need to do everything and his teammates will not only get to better spots but get him the ball better. Also if the Suns are more competetive he won't have to do as much defensive running.
TomC
Roar Guru
I agree with Brendan that the important thing for the Suns is that the inside mids in that team, like Rischitelli, Prestia, and Swallow need to shoulder the load at the clearances so Ablett can play on the outside of the contest where he can do the most damage. That should also protect his body a bit. I've never watched a game live at Metricon, but games there often seem to be quite open affairs where quick players can always find space. That suits Ablett, and it also suits players like Bennell and Hall, who seem to be able to burn off opponents with their speed. I think the Suns will have a few big wins at Metricon. They play the Lions and the Power there in rounds three and four and I wouldn't bet against them winning both of those.
Peter Care
Guest
To correct Brendan, he has played at this level since 2007. That was when he first got himself super fit. That 2006-2007 offseason was when, Cameron Ling and Tom Harley told him he wasn't fit enough, and he didn't work hard enough. They also told him he could be as good as Chris Judd if he put in the work. It hurt him, but he took it on board. From that 2007 season he has raised his game to another level and has been consistanly in the top handfull of players in the AFL, perhaps even better than Chris Judd. You are right as he gets older he needs to spend more time as a small forward, just as he did in his first few season at Geelong. I still remember he and Paul Chapman being the most potent small forward and part time midfield pair in the AFL. (Yes Chris Connelly much more potent than your pair of Medhurst and Farmer).
Brendan
Guest
Ablett has played this high level of football cosistently for nearly a decade without hardly missing any games through injury.Now that they have an early win on the board its time Mckenna played him forward for most of the game and put the acid on Swallow,Bennell, Rischitelli etch to up the ante on ball .Great win by the Suns but as you say he cannot do everything.Maybe you should give him a ring Brad i reckoned you were one of the best on-ballers going around before you moved forward to improve the teams chances.