Abbott jumps at a second crack
THE timing was just right for lateblooming Geelong ruckman Ryan Abbott.
By his own admission, there’s no way known Abbott would have been ready for the demands of the AFL had he followed the conventional route and been drafted as a teenager.
Back then he was more interested in basketball anyway.
But after a bout of knee surgery and some cajoling from his mates, Abbott returned to his local club, Grovedale, at 21. It’s been pretty much an upward trajectory ever since for the 27-year-old.
Having impressed in a handful of games for Geelong’s VFL side in 2016, the Cats took a punt on the 200cm Abbott with pick 69 in the national draft.
“I tell people that at 17 or 18 I wouldn’t have been ready to play AFL even if I had been playing football at that age,” Abbott said.
“I wasn’t in the right headspace and my body wasn’t ready either.
“I’m sure there are heaps of other kids out there in a really similar position. Everything just seemed to fall into place for me from about 21 onwards. The more experience I got and the more games I played I just kept building.”
Geelong recruiting guru Stephen Wells was taken by Abbott’s skill set.
“Ryan performed well in the VFL against some AFL-listed ruckmen which gave him and us a lot of confidence that he could hold his own in the AFL competition,” Wells said.
“His ruckwork overall, directing the ball to advantage, was something we liked, along with his ability to cover the ground athletically.”
Abbott performed creditably in his debut AFL game a fortnight ago against Richmond’s premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis, only to be unluckily squeezed out to make way for the return of Rhys Stanley.
But a recurrence of Stanley’s calf injury last week against Hawthorn has quickly given him a second shot at the big time against Fremantle.
Abbott’s direct opponent at GMHBA Stadium will be another player with strong local connections — former Geelong Falcons under-18s ruck Sean Darcy.
With Stanley no certainty to return this year, Abbott could be rucking for Geelong in the finals, if the ninth-placed Cats make it that far.