It’s no go, Gary

I RARELY write about any football matters because of the excellent coverage this newspaper enjoys from its dedicated sports team.

However every now and then a topic pops up that piques my interest.

Hero or traitor, the returning son, saviour or deserter. Or you could even argue he was forced out by the coach or that he left us to feather his own nest and because he was told he would not be given the captaincy.

All these reasons and more have been part of the Ablett discussion, part of the yes or no debate. Should he or shouldn’t he return to the club that gave him his success and launched the Ablett legend? A big, big question.

There are two main streams in this polarised debate entering around whether or not he is a traitor who sold his soul to the devil.

Gary Viccars, of Highton, had no doubt back in April when he penned this letter to the editor. “I have sat in silence to all the talk about Ablett returning to Geelong Football Club. Gary Ablett Jr should be rated as one of Geelong’s top three traitors (the other two being Leigh Colbert and Greg Williams). He left us high and dry for a truckload of money and he thought another premiership. He made his bed and he can lay in it, and so what if he wants to come back, he should have thought about it before he stabbed us in the back.”

Wow, why don’t you tell us what you really think Mr Viccars.

Others are equally vociferous in the desire to have an Ablett — I rather think almost any Ablett would do, such is the devotionevotion of some Cats supporters to this family football clan — that they y will pay anything and trade anyoneone to secure Gary’s services.

I’ll be honest, I probably ably have more negatives about Ablett’s blett’s potential return than positives. ves.

Yes, he is still a good player, in fact on his day a sensationalnal player, but having said that he is also 33 years old with a recent history of significant injury.

Despite winning the Gold Coast Suns’ best and fairest he only managed to play 14 games in the he season.

When at Geelong manyny considered him to be a bit of a sook and many at the Suns consideredered some of his absences last yearear to fall within the sook range of options he took.

I also wonder what it says to our recently retired players andnd the rest of the squad.

Bartel, Johnson, Stokesokes and Kelly were all moved on before what they considered too be their use-by date.

The were naturally unhappy and all these players stuckuck with the club on salaries less thanhan they could have expected hadd they moved.

They believed in the team eam and put winning beforere money, a loyalty not reeciprocated by the club in n their latter years.

Ablett took the money ey and ran, denying what many consider to be at least another one or two flags for the Cats.

News Corp’s Jon Ralph wrote in April about Ablett and the Suns: “An unhealthy reliance on Gary has become distracting and regularly caused resentment among those who played or worked with him. Now is the time for the Suns to make a clean break from Ablett — and the circus that surrounds him — and let him return to his former club.” So, we want someone who is “distracting and causing resentment” in our club? I wouldn’t have thought so. Ralph also offered this thought: “When the Ablett trade didn’t go through last year, one Geelong official admitted to a Gold Coast official on draft day the Cats had dodged a bullet.” In other words, they know all of the distractions and dramas and controversies that come with having Ablett on the list. So do we go for Ablett or not is the big question.

For me, if we get him at a bargain basement price and do not have to give up any of our top 22 squad then possibly, maybe, could do, I suppose but if I’m honest, why would we bother?

We built up our 2007 flag-winning side, with few exceptions, by developing our young players who then served us well and refused more attractive offers and even took pay cuts to maintain the team and its successes.

Finally Ablett has been quoted as saying that he will retire if he isn’t traded to Geelong rather than fulfil his contract at the Suns.

What unbelievable arrogance and selfishness.

Just retire on that basis alone Gary, the GFC is not an old people’s home.