Gary Ablett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gary Ablett, Sr (born October 1, 1961) is a former champion Australian rules football player.

Ablett is widely considered to be one of the greatest AFL players of all time. He was voted Geelong's greatest all time player,^[1] and was named in the AFL team of the century.

He is the only player, in the history of the VFL/AFL, to have won the Coleman Medal, and kicked more than one hundred goals in three consecutive seasons.

In January, 2006, Ablett announced he was selling his football memorabilia collection by online auction. Ablett will auction football jumpers, boots, shorts, socks and gloves used during his football career. ^[2]

[edit] Career

Gary Ablett grew up in Drouin in Victoria's Gippsland region.

His father was a champion horse trainer and his mother was a talented track and field athlete^{[citation needed]}. He was one of eight children, with two of his four brothers playing professional football and all of his siblings succeeding in their chosen sports. One of his sisters is married to former Hawthorn star Michael Tuck. Ablett dropped out of high school at the age of fifteen and became a bricklayer's labourer^{[citation needed]}. During his teenage years, he was charged with criminal offences such as assault and drug possession, and came close to imprisonment on more than one occasion^{[citation needed]}.

In 1982, Ablett was recruited by the Hawthorn Football Club as a wingman, in what was then the Victorian Football League. His first season was unsuccessful; he played only six games and kicked nine goals. At season's end he returned to his uncle's home town of Myrtleford and played out the 1983 season there. At that time his football career seemed over.

Cover of the DVD, Ablett - One Special Season

In 1984, Ablett was picked up by Geelong, where he moved to the forward line. In that season he turned his career around, playing 15 games and kicking thirty-three goals. He was awarded "Best and Fairest" (the highest club-based award in Australian rules football) at Geelong that same year. For the next twelve seasons, Ablett was one of the stars of what soon became the Australian Football League. He played in four grand final teams: 1989, 1992, 1994 and 1995, although Geelong lost each time. In the 1989 Grand Final — a match widely regarded as one of the best ever played — he kicked nine goals and was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for best player afield. He thus became one of only four players (the others being Maurice Rioli, Nathan Buckley, and Chris Judd) to win the medal playing for the losing side. Ablett's haul of 27 goals in the 1989 finals series is a record that still stands — he kicked 3 goals vs. Essendon, 7 vs. Melbourne, 8 vs. Essendon in Geelong's winning rematch, and of course 9 in the losing Grand Final against Hawthorn.

In 1986, Ablett became a born-again Christian and has been said to be slightly aggrieved at constantly being referred to as "God" by fans, a nickname based on his virtually limitless abilities, conjuring goals in the most unlikely circumstances. Ablett announced his retirement from football due to personal reasons prior to the 1991 season, but then made a comeback halfway through that year.

Ablett won three consecutive Coleman Medals, for the most goals kicked in a season, in 1993, 1994, and 1995. In those three seasons he broke the 100-goal barrier each time — a rare feat in Australian Rules. He represented Victoria in State of Origin games eleven times, being the side's captain in 1995. He made the All-Australian team seven times, in 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995, as well as being selected in both the AFL and Geelong Teams of the Century. In total, Ablett played 242 games, and kicked 1,021 goals.

Although Ablett will perhaps be remembered most for his 1989 grand final performance as well as his final four seasons at full forward (1993-1996), his performances in the 1980s are too often overlooked. Playing at half-forward, a non-key scoring role, he kicked 82 goals from 20 games in 1985, 65 goals from 15 games in 1986, 53 goals from 17 games in 1987, 82 goals from 21 games in 1988, and 87 goals from 23 games in his stellar year, 1989. The fact that Ablett was able to dominate scoring at club level as well as at league level while playing on the half forward flank shows just how much of a fine athlete he was.

Geoff Hook cartoon from June 11, 1991 referring to Ablett's long awaited return to Geelong.

Towards the end of his career Ablett bulked up to an intimidating size. Renowned as much for his explosive pace and power as his freakish skills, Ablett was also an accomplished aerialist. With strong hands, Ablett became a master of the pack mark, regularly taking spectacular marks in his career. A highlight was the 1994 Mark of the Year over Collingwood's Gary Pert on Mothers' Day at the MCG, a mark which was informally dubbed by many as the 'Mark of the Century'^{[citation needed]}.

At the end of the 1997 season Ablett announced he would be retiring. He had never been able to deal with the media well, and this may be why, unlike many renowned footballers, Ablett did not become involved in sports broadcasting after his retirement.

[edit] Sporting family

Ablett's eldest son, Gary Ablett Jr. has followed in his footsteps and now plays for Geelong, as one of the club's most exciting and popular players. Another son, Nathan, was drafted by Geelong at the end of 2004, after initially refusing to play AFL Football because of his father's experience. Nathan has made an impressive contribution in front of goal since his premature promotion to the senior list late in the 2005 season, but is yet to play at the level the Ablett name demands. Gary's nephew, Luke Ablett, has forged a successful career with the Sydney Swans and played a vital roll in Sydneys 2005 Grandfinal win . Michael Tuck, Ablett's brother in law almost holds the same prestige as Ablett being the all time games record holder in the A.F.L with 426 games. Both Tuck's sons play A.F.L also with Shane a regular with the Richmond Tigers and Travis on the Hawthorn list but yet to play a game.

• Gary Ablett, Jr. - son
• Nathan Ablett - son
• Kevin Ablett - brother
• Geoff Ablett - brother
• Luke Ablett - nephew
• Michael Tuck - brother-in-law
• Shane Tuck - nephew
• Travis Tuck - nephew

[edit] Post-career controversies

Ablett became involved in controversy when a young Geelong woman, Alicia Horan, nineteen, died of a drug overdose while in Ablett's hotel room ^[3].

It is generally believed that this incident in particular is responsible for the Australian Football Hall of Fame Committee's initial refusal to admit Ablett.^[4] In 2004, after several years of being overlooked, Ablett asked the Geelong Football Club to stop nominating him, a request that was granted. However on 2 June 2005, against all expectations, it was announced that Ablett would be inducted into the Hall of Fame the following week. ^[5]

On June 26, 2006, Ablett was allegedly assaulted at 11.15pm whilst browsing through a car yard in Fyans Street, South Geelong [1] [2]. A 31 year old Geelong man, Vyasa Ofthesea, a person said to have attacked Ablett, appeared in the Geelong Magistrates court on June 27 and was remanded in custody on charges relating to alleged assault. Ofthesea was later bailed on conditions he not contact Ablett and was to seek psychiatric care within 24 hours. Ofthesea apparently committed suicide on July 10, 2006 by jumping from a Melbourne high rise apartment block, the day before he was due to front the Geelong Magistrates court to defend the assault charges.[3]

[edit] References