Is the spotlight on Gary Ablett unfair?

Removing the word "healthy" from your statement and replacing it with "small" would be appropriate. As to not mentioning on-field leadership - you imply it by saying he is a poor leader PARTICULARLY off the field. In either case, you are in error. He might not be the greatest leader of all time, but is far from poor.

Sarah Olle, please check your facts before you repeat gossip, Gary doesn't and never has used shooting hoops as a warm up away from the team. Just because something it repeated many times by ignorant people doesn't make it fact. Also if you could just listen when Gary is talking about his shoulder, you would know that it isn't just a matter of pain, there is more too it than that. As for Jonathon Brown putting his opinion forward, no one interested. He should instead go and sort out the Lions they aren't exactly flying either. Never has one player had some many armchair experts wanting to bleat their opinions about something they obviously know nought about.

It is fairly common knowledge in the medical world that the surgeon botched the operation. By all accounts Ablett is a fine man and any suggestion he should play with this shoulder is unfair. Do your reseach people.

I never said you were criticising his on field exploits. I still disagree with your assessment that Ablett needs to take a healthy share of the blame. As far as I'm aware he off the field has been a role model anyway. He rarely has (if ever) made headlines for silly behaviour and generally has quite a quiet off field life. Not quite the recluse that his father is, but keeps it quiet. That in itself is a sign of leadership, he's not out with the kids getting smashed. on field he is as disciplined as can be by rarely making the tribunal, he has the respect of his coaches and players his whole professional life. That the GC play better when he plays is actually a sign of his brilliance AND his leadership. He inspires others to step up a level. If we were to play the blame game (and I think it is ridiculous that we would) perhaps blaming senior sporting figures such as Campbell Brown (the drunken gambler) and Karmichael Hunt (the exclusive drug supplier of the Gold Coast suns) would be more appropriate before the man who actually has a remarkably clean record both on and off the field.

You will both note that I completely refrained from mentioning Ablett's on-field exploits. It goes without saying what a champion he is, and what he has done on the field for the Suns. Nick Maxwell was a premiership captain at Collingwood, not Brownlow medalist Dane Swan. We can judge players separately for on-field performance and off-field leadership.

So your answer is what? For him to play injured risking long term injury and a shortened career? Yeah because that's smart.

It's Gary Ablett's fault that kids can't behave? It may be the case he is not a natural leader but he doesn't deserve criticism for not wanting to rush back into playing. He should be allowed to think about his own health before the team.

So when he is fit and playing he is the best player in the league and kills it on the field, you writers cant get enough words out about how great he is. Now because he cant control the lifestyle choices of other GROWN MEN on his team, and has a serious injury but doesnt want to take painkillers to play through it, which is smart, he is a poor leader? If his team mates need him around constantly to hold their hands, maybe its time for them to put on their big boy pants. Gary HAS shown the way. He has had an elite career, earned nearly every accolade there is and carrys that team on his own. But he is rubbish because other professional footballers cant adhere to team rules that they themselves agreed too? Whatevs.

I am not sure about questioning Ablett on the injury front. He was all but useless in the first 2 Rounds of the season and the Suns effectively played a man down against the Dees and Saints as a result. If he feels he is not ready then he is not ready. The Suns season is shot to bits (was probably shot after losing 2 very winnable games in the first two weeks) and Gaz coming back early won’t get them anywhere near the top 8 so in this instance take the cautious road back and make sure that this pre-season he hits the ground running and is cherry ripe for 2016. The injury list at the moment is outrageous, and while typically injuries shouldn’t be used as an excuse when all your best players are injured it should be seen as a legitimate reason for why the Suns sit where they sit. The one silver lining for Eade is that he can see which players are clearly not AFL standard (Aaron Hall springs to mind immediately) and start clearing out the dead wood as the Suns will have a top 3 pick along with another inside the top 25 if the season continues along the same path as the first 9 rounds. On the topic of Ablett’s off-field leadership I think the criticism is warranted. There is absolutely no reason at all that Ablett shouldn’t be fronting the media when all/any press conference is called whether he is playing or not. Rischitelli is a vice-captain and that is fine from an on-ground perspective but official talking duties should be the Coach and the Captain. Warming up separately from the team, regular mid-week flights to Melbourne as and when Ablett chooses and not fronting the media when a Captain normally should does not send a message to his much younger teammates that he is fully committed to them or the team. It sends the message that Gary can do as he pleases and the rest of you need to fall in line. How you build a united team culture from that I don’t know? Would Ross Lyon allow Fyfe to do as he pleases will demanding unity from the rest of the Dockers? Living on the Gold Coast I have been as surprised as anyone that since Round 2 Ablett has barely been heard or sighted until this week when criticism started reaching fever pitch. Why is he not travelling with the team to all games, home and away, while he is not playing? It can’t be because of the injury because he still flies to Melbourne when it suits him for both personal and business reasons. The questions I have as a disappointed QLD footy fan are the following: 1. How many of the issues that are now coming to the surface developed under Guy McKenna and Travis Auld? 2. What did either of those two men implement during their time in charge at the Club to leave a strong player culture on a relatively young player group? 3. What measures are Rocket Eade and Andrew Travis taking and looking to implement now for the remainder of this season about expected player behaviour and standards? 4. Is it time to declare a new Captain for the Suns? Someone like a Tom Lynch, David Swallow or even Jaegar O’Meara for 2016 who is a contemporary of most of the playing list in terms of experience and age but is consistently spoken of highly as leadership material and total professionals from a preparation and recovery perspective? 5. What reason is there for Ablett not to travel with the Suns for every remaining game this season, whether playing or not? 6. Do the Suns players know of the concept of “Brand Damage” both of the Club and Individual? Does Gil McLachlan need to make a trek up to the GC to impress upon this list exactly how much money the AFL has spent (and is spending) on this Club that allows these young men to live their dream of being professional athletes? 7. Do the Suns need to get some high achieving athletes (could be from any sport) who have shown enormous professionalism throughout their careers in to speak with the group and discuss what is necessary to succeed at the top end of sport?

A few weeks back now Wayne Carey wrote a very interesting piece in the age in which he 100% supported Ablett's stance and talked about his regrets of playing injured in his time as he now struggles to lift his five month old baby daughter, and how it takes great leadership/courage not to play in these situations. As a Geelong fan I still remember the gutsy call made by Matthew Stokes to rule himself out of the 2009 GF as he wasn't 100% right. He had played injured in 2008 and had a poor game and didn't want to cost his team a 2nd GF. Mark Thompson and team-mates rightly made a special point of singling him out before and after the match for this decision and credited it with playing a big part in their success. To sheet Gold Coast's current on field and off-field woes down to one player is pointless. I 100% agree with you spruce moose that Ablett is focusing on quality of life after football and should be lauded for that. 2 flags, 2 brownlows and multiple B&F's - Ablett has nothing left to prove.

Is Jonathon Brown punch drunk? If he's injured, he's injured the medicos will make that call along with the player. Gazza plays hard, wins his own ball but not every player is a human battering ram like Browny was. Any "identity crises" that the club are experiencing are not the sole responsibility of Gary Ablett. good opportunity for all wannabe leaders to stand up.

Ablett must wear a healthy portion of responsibility for everything about the Suns current off-field behaviour and appalling lack of discipline and respect. Coming from the culture he did at Geelong, it was up to him to show the way. The fact that he either hasn't or his message didn't get through tells us that he is not a natural leader, and in fact is quite a poor one, particularly off the field.

He's just the easy target given none of the other Suns have a fraction of the profile in Melbourne. Perhaps the media should focus on why they are so poor on the field and the lack of leadership there. Number 9 isn't going to be on the park for long after he returns from injury and many of the so called blue chip players they drafted aren't kids anymore. BTW, given the whole ASADA/WADA/ESsendon business why would anyone take a painkiller?

I'm not concerned about Ablett not playing as everyone could see how bad his injury was in the first two rounds. He was a liability and was a concussion waiting to happen with his good shoulder pinned in a tackle and the other not being able to absorb him hitting the ground. I'm more worried about why Gary has decided to step away from the media during such a bad time for the club. This is where Gary should be fronting the media and displaying his leadership, if for no other reason but to keep belief in the fans. I'll freely admit I've not been studiously watching Gold Coast conferences but I can barely recall seeing him or hearing him via any media forum to defend his club until this week.

Exactly. Why is it the responsibility of the leaders to stand up at the GC. How much more can they do? It's time for the kids to grow up and start playing and behaving like adults.

He's always played hard yes, but he was forced to play even harder at GC. He got more breaks at Geelong. He rarely gets a prolonged period of rest on the bench at GC + the burden of playing to his level in that climate will take a bigger toll. Little wonder his shoulder busted so badly.

Last year prior to his injury Ablett was on track for a 3rd Brownlow and he was being universally lauded for his 'outstanding leadership'. Let Gazza come back when he's ready. He wants to play out the remainder of his contract which has a few more years to run so lets tale a longer term view. A few more weeks on the sidelines isn't the end of the world. Eade can use the time to find out who is standing up and who isn't. Their list is still full of potential stars that aren't going anywhere in the coming months. It's time for some of these guys to stand up, not Ablett.

The symbolism of him injuring one of the shoulders on which he carries that team is unmistakable. But I reckon symbolism is all it is. He's always played hard. I don't think he knows another way.

One could easily make the argument that it is the ineptness of his team mates that brought this injury on. He has to work much much harder for GC on field than he did at Geelong just to make the team competitive.

If you accept over $1 million per year from an AFL club, then that club should be your first priority. If he wants to play it this way, then put his contract on hold, then see how quick the greedy superstar pulls his boots back on.