A rested Ablett could be key to Cats’ premiership hopes
GARY Ablett can be Geelong’s Mr September in 2020.
But it is going to take some creativity with how the club manages the Little Master, should he go on next season.
The 35-year-old is currently weighing up his future after the Cats’ preliminary final loss, telling fans on Saturday he was “honestly unsure” whether he would play on in 2020.
The obvious questions are: Can his body get through another 12 months of footy? Does he still have the hunger to perform at AFL level? Can the Cats win a flag in 2020?
They are some of the key parts of the decision-making process that is happening at the moment.
It is time for Geelong to think outside the box.
There is no doubt Ablett can still contribute at AFL level and if he was to retire now, Geelong would be worse off next season.
So how can the Cats get the best out of an ageing Ablett?
Don’t bother playing him until after the mid-year bye.
The sole focus of Geelong’s contract offer to Ablett should be around having him right for September.
It is not about having him primed for Round 1 or 2 — it is about getting him to peak come finals.
Set a target of a 10 to 12game season for Ablett, factoring in the possibility of four finals. Then all Geelong has to do is work backwards from there. It means Ablett gets a significant break over the offseason, with his pre-season starting later than most.
Get him ticking over in the background, training as normal throughout the early part of the season, but all without the weekly toll of a game of footy on his body.
Then unleash him in the back half of the year, with his body the freshest it would have been in years.
The Cats have been open to that type of management before, offering ruckman Brad Ottens a similar deal at the end of 2011 built around a reduced playing load for 2012.
And Ablett is the perfect candidate for it in 2020.
Remember, his form this year was good enough to earn a spot in the All-Australian squad.
While he did not make the final team, his performances in 2019 were that of a player more than capable of playing one more season.
The only concern is that his form dropped off in finals.
Ablett played 21 home-andaway games, plus three finals. You have to wonder whether that is too many for a bloke who is 35.
Geelong had a management plan in 2019 for Ablett.
But as much as the Cats probably wanted to give him a break, the club seemed reluctant to pull the trigger, particularly given his superb form and the fact he was injury-free.
Eventually he got his week off through a suspension in Round 11.
So, that considered, letting him cool his jets until the second half of 2020 takes that out of the equation. He will be fully rested with a good body of training under his belt before finals … if Geelong makes it.
It will also give him the best chance of helping drive Geelong to another premiership.
Gazza, you’re a long time retired. Pull the blue-andwhite hoops on for one more year.