Costa hopeful deal will get done

GOODBYE SUNS: ABLETT WANTS TO COME HOME

GEELONG patron Frank Costa has backed the club to get a deal done that will get favourite son Gary Ablett back to the Cattery.

Ablett yesterday signalled his intent to return to his former club, asking the Gold Coast Suns to trade him to Geelong for family reasons.

The Suns are expected to ask for an established player in return for Ablett, who still has one year left on his contract.

While there is plenty of work to be done to get a potential trade across the line, Costa said he was confident Geelong could make it happen.

“If the negotiation goes as well as I expect it will, then I give it a reasonable chance of coming off,” Costa said.

“The name Ablett means a lot to Geelong and I’m sure the Geelong public will welcome him back as long as we don’t go silly and give away too much and upset the balance of the list. I’m confident they wouldn’t do that.

“We are in pretty good hands with our footy department. We were in great hands with Steven Hocking and now we have got Simon Lloyd who is a really good operator.

“They are very sensible people and don’t forget Chris Scott and Brian Cook who will be part of that. They are well balanced, very smart guys.

“I reckon they will balance it out pretty well. It will be wonderful to get him.”

Ablett asked the Suns to trade him to the Cats during last year’s trade period, but the club took a hard line stance and no deal was worked out.

It’s been reported that Ablett could choose to retire if he doesn’t get back to Geelong.

That’s something that could force Gold Coast’s hand, Costa said. “What I’ve heard is that he has told them if he can’t get a clearance then he’s going to retire. So that puts the pressure right on everybody, doesn’t it?” Costa said.

Costa was confident any trade for Ablett wouldn’t have any significant impact on Geelong’s other off-season dealings.

“I’m sure it won’t impact on our current list and the balance of payments to players,” Costa said.

“They’ll be very careful with negotiations.

“I don’t know of the actual details, but what I’ve heard is that big money isn’t in Gary’s range at all. He would just like to come back and be close to his family.”

Costa said the 33-year-old still had plenty to offer on field.

“You can say it’s a romantic thing, but it’s more than that,” he said. “He’s certainly got a couple of years of good footy left in him, in my opinion.

“To add to a team that’s got Joel Selwood and Patty Dangerfield in the midfield and we’ve got a few years of good football left in those guys. It’s almost like putting the X-factor into the team.

“You are strengthening the midfield and you are strengthening the forward line.

“When I looked at the losses we had in the finals ... that (X-factor) was what we needed most of all.”