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... ABLETT GETS BETTER WITH AGE
Gary Ablett has put on a few kilos, but the 347-game veteran still has the magic, matchwinning touch, as on display in Geelong’s thumping of Hawthorn on Friday night.
IF the COVID-19 enforced break taught us anything, it is that people love talking about footy.
Even with no matches for almost three months, fans, commentators, players, coaches and administrators continued to discuss myriad topics knowing it was as good as it would get until the sport they love returned.
One such issue that has been raised and debated since Thursday night is the change in game time, with quarters reduced to 16 minutes.
At club level, the break was put to good use by many and allowed certain players to come back in even better condition than when football was put on pause in March.
For Geelong, it meant the likes of Joel Selwood, Sam Menegola and Mitch Duncan, as well as players such as Jake Kolodjashnij, Nakia Cockatoo and Lachie Fogarty, had time to get their bodies right after missing chunks of pre-season due to injury.
But one of the unspoken upsides for the Cats because of the change in duration was there for all to see on Friday night — at 36 years of age, shorter quarters are made for Gary Ablett.
Less game time means Ablett is unlikely to fatigue late in quarters or late in a match and his recovery time is clearly going to be reduced.
Eyebrows were raised by some commentators about the body shape of the dual Brownlow Medal winner on Friday. But there is method to what Ablett is doing, and as he explained to SEN Crunch Time, the additional weight he has added to his frame has him confident he will be able to better fulfil his role down forward and also see out more matches.
“I spent a lot of time on my body this pre-season just making sure I was really strengthening my legs,” he said.
“I have put on a little bit of weight, which I kind of wanted to do knowing that I was going to play that forward role, but for me the focus was really making sure that I was strengthening my hamstrings, my glutes and all those things that I know have given me issues over the past two or three years.
“So the body is feeling great at the moment and hopefully that continues for the rest of the season.
“I mentioned to a few of the boys after the game that I felt I was able to run out the game and as most guys know as they are ageing and getting on, the challenge for me has been able to run out games and getting as many rotations as I need.
“Obviously being able to get the kilometres in the legs but also getting the balance right with not overdoing it.
“I felt great (against Hawthorn) and I am hoping it helps. We believe it also suits our game style with the shorter games.
“We believe we are an explosive team and are really good for that 15 to 20-minute period.”
Any thought that the extra weight would be a hindrance was quickly put to bed against
Hawthorn, with Ablett turning back the clock in a vintage display.
His 21 disposals, six inside-50s, three score assists and two goals only paint part of the picture. It was his touch that made you take notice.
So often in other matches this weekend, players were noticeably off their game at times as a result of the lay-off from ball work.
But Ablett’s delivery to teammates — two passes to Rhys Stanley and a millimetre perfect kick that landed in the hands of Patrick Dangerfield — were among his highlights.
He has previously discussed the difficulty he had in relinquishing his role in the midfield to spend more time in attack, but it was always a matter of when, not if, he got his head around what he had to do to help his side succeed and as his performance against the Hawks showed, he has seemingly nailed it.
“The conversation that we (Ablett and Geelong coach Chris Scott) had at the end of my first year was more around playing 50 per cent through the midfield and 50 per cent down forward and the way it all played out, I did spend a lot more time down forward,” he said.
“I think moving from the Suns back to Geelong as well, there were two very different game styles. I probably spent that first 12 months learning Geelong’s game style and how they like to set things up.
“‘Scotty’ is a very good coach and I believe he sees the game very well, but it just took that time for me to understand how I could fit into that system. The second year it was a matter of just spending plenty of time with (forward coach) Corey Enright and plenty of time with the forwards who had been around at the club a fair amount of time and just picking their brains.
“It did take a bit of time but I feel I know my role very well now. I think we’ve got a very good forward line and I think the stats showed that last year.
“Our focus over our mini pre-season was getting that balance right between controlling possession when we need to, but also being able to get the ball inside-50 as quickly as we can because we’re a very good one-on-one side.”
The fact that the Cats have Luke Dahlhaus, Tom Atkins and Gryan Miers roving to Tom Hawkins and Esava Ratugolea, in addition to Ablett, is a salivating thought.
Of course, there is also Gary Rohan, who is playing a mixed role, and Brandan Parfitt and Quinton Narkle can also drift forward, and while it was always going to take time for that group to jell, last year was clearly the most consistent output from Geelong’s forwards in many years.
But it now looks to be even better again.
It might only be one week but the signs are ominous, and if Ablett can stay out on the park for a greater percentage of game time than previously, one can only imagine what things will look like in the weeks ahead.