GARY ABLETT

'Gary Robert "God" Ablett, Sr' (born October 1 1961) is a retired Australian rules football player.

Contents

Early life

Career

Overview

Early years at Hawthorn

Geelong 1984-90

Geelong 1991-97

Finals performances

Off-field controversies and criminal proceeding

Personal life

Ablett Family

Honours

Induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame

References

See also

Early life

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 . He was one of eight children, with two of his four brothers playing professional football. Ablett dropped out of high school at the age of fifteen and became a bricklayer's labourer . 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 .

Career

Overview

Ablett is widely considered to be the greatest AFL player 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 total, Ablett played 242 games, and kicked 1,021 goals.

Early years at Hawthorn

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.

Geelong 1984-90

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 Geelong "Best and Fairest" in this debut year. For the next twelve seasons, Ablett was one of the stars at Geelong.
Although Ablett will most likely be best remembered for both his 1989 grand final performance and 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. Ablett announced his first retirement from football due to personal reasons prior to the 1991 season.

Geelong 1991-97

Ablett was encouraged to overturn this decision and made a successful comeback halfway through the 1991 season, although, having missed so much football, he was a shadow of his former self and later was again involved in controversy when he struck Nathan Burke of St Kilda in a behind-the-play incident during the Cats' Elimination Final triumph over the Saints. He was suspended by the AFL Tribunal for two weeks and Geelong subsequently lost to the season's two Grand Finalists - Hawthorn in the 2nd Semi-Final and West Coast on a freezing day at Waverley Park in the Preliminary Final.
Before the 1993 season, he was encouraged by then Coach, Malcolm Blight, to move from his customary Half-Forward/Wing position to the primary goal-scoring position at Full-Forward, in an effort to prolong his career (he was 31 at the time). This move proved to be a master-stroke for, although the Cats did not make the Finals, Ablett was supreme in his new role, booting 124 goals in just 17 appearances to claim the John Coleman Medal for the League's leading goal-scorer (after the Home and Away rounds).
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. He had tremendous success as full-forward and went on to win three consecutive Coleman Medals (most goals in a season) from 1993. He broke the 100-goal barrier on each occasion.
At the end of the 1997 season Ablett announced that he would be retiring.

Finals performances

Ablett played in four grand final teams: 1989, 1992, 1994 and 1995, although Geelong lost each time. His 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. His performance in the 1989 Grand Final was rewarded with 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.

Off-field controversies and criminal proceeding

In 1990 Ablett was placed on a $10,000 good behaviour bond after he pleaded guilty to repeatedly hitting a man he found sitting in a car with his estranged wife.^[2]
In 2000 Ablett became involved in dire controversy when a nineteen year old Geelong woman, Alicia Horan, died of a drug overdose (heroin, ecstasy and amphetamines) while in Ablett's hotel room. After a prolonged period of refusing to answer police questions - Ablett stating he had "received pressure from certain avenues not to give all the facts" - he admitted to providing Horan with heroin and other drugs, which he took with her. Ablett was charged with four drug offences to which he pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined $1500. ^[3].
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]

Personal life

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 supreme football abilities.
Ablett has had well-documented problems with illegal drug use and depression (see sections: ''Post-career controversies'' and ''Induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame'')

Ablett Family

Two of Ablett's brothers played in the Victorian Football League - Kevin Ablett, who played for Hawthorn and Geoff Ablett, former player with Hawthorn, Richmond and St Kilda.
Ablett's eldest son, Gary Ablett Jr. has followed in his footsteps and now stars for Geelong and in 2007 is favourite to be awarded the Brownlow Medal for the best and fairest player. Another son, Nathan, was drafted in 2004 (48th pick) by Geelong under the father-son rule. Nathan initially refused to play AFL Football because of his father's experience but with encouragement from the club played 4 senior games in 2005 and 7 in 2006. In 2007 he has already exceeded this total, and has established himself in the full-forward position.
Additionally Gary's nephew, Luke Ablett, has forged a successful career with the Sydney Swans and played an important role in Sydney's 2005 Grand Final win. One of Ablett's sisters is married to former Hawthorn star Michael Tuck. Both Tuck's sons - Ablett's nephews - play AFL also with Shane a regular with the Richmond Tigers and Travis on the Hawthorn list but yet to play a game.
In 2006 Ablett's daughter Natasha Ablett, 23, was convicted of attempted robbery, assault by kicking and recklessly causing injury over an attack on a shop assistant. She was released on an 18-month community-based order and fined $1500.^[4]

Honours

★ Represented Victoria in State of Origin games eleven times, being the side's captain in 1995

★ Seven time All-Australian team - 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995

★ Selection in AFL Team of the Century

★ Selection in Geelong Teams of the Century

★ Coleman Medal 1993, 1994, 1995

★ Norm Smith Medal 1989

★ Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame 2005

Induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame

It is generally believed that, despite Ablett's undoubted football credentials, the drug-induced death of Alicia Horan in Ablett's hotel room was responsible for the Australian Football Hall of Fame Committee's reluctance to induct Ablett.^[5] In 2004, after several years of speculation over selection Ablett asked the Geelong Football Club to stop nominating him, a request that was granted. However in June 2005 it was announced that Ablett would be inducted into the Hall of Fame the following week.^[6]
Ablett did not attend the ceremony and made the following statement (through his manager, Michael Baker):^[7]

"Due to my current battle with depression I am not in a position to be able to accept this award in person. I did not make this decision lightly but due to medical advice it was deemed best for my health that I do not attend tonight. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to play this great game and also to have played at the elite level alongside many celebrated champions. Being chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the highest honours a player could dream of. I thank those who deem me worthy enough to be placed alongside such respected company."

References

1. Ablett named greatest Cat, ABC Sport, 11 June 2006
2. Gary Ablett fraud probe Herald Sun, Jan 3, 2007
3. Revealed: what took place in the hotel room, The Age, March 1, 2003
4. http://www.afana.com/drupal/node/120
5. Hutchison named to AFL Legend list, ABC Sport, July 1, 2003
6. Ablett's Hall of Fame exile to end, ABC Sport, June 2, 2005
7. Ablett recognised as 'football genius', ABC Sport, June 5, 2005

See also

★ List of Australian rules football incidents

★ After the siren kicks in Australian rules football