Geelong finds ideal Ablett replacement but he’s not ready yet
THE man Geelong selectors would most like to slot in to replace Gary Ablett is in outstanding form but is still unavailable for selection.
Injury-prone forward Nakia Cockatoo looms as a perfect like-for-like replacement for Ablett, given his ability to create opportunities in the forward line and rotate through the midfield.
Cockatoo — who hasn’t played in the AFL since Round 3, 2018 — played a full scratch match for the Cats two weeks ago and was in scintillating form on Friday as the unselected players completed match simulation.
Watching on over that session on Friday, Geelong’s general manager of football Simon Lloyd and midfielder Mitch Duncan were impressed with Cockatoo’s work, but he is still weeks away from selection.
“Nakia is steadily progressing,” Lloyd said.
“At the hitout we had (on Friday) I turned to Mitch Duncan and said ‘who would you give your votes to if you had a vote card?’ and he said he would have given them to Nakia.
“He is obviously an exciting player and is getting closer but it still will be several weeks.”
Geelong won’t see Ablett again during its stay in Perth after he returned home for family reasons and it remains unclear when he will be able to join his teammates when the game moves to Queensland next month.
While the Cats have options to replace Ablett, his class and ability to use the ball well at half-forward is impossible to replicate.
As Cockatoo toils away, Tom Atkins is still off the park nursing an injury to his ribs.
Quinton Narkle would have been a good swap for Ablett, but he too is out with a hamstring injury.
James Parsons and Lachie Fogarty are both capable of playing as midfielder-forwards.
The Cats could also call on an untried player to fill the gap.
Francis Evans catapulted from nowhere to be selected at pick 41 in last year’s AFL Draft and was named an emergency for the Collingwood match.
“Francis has been going really well,” Lloyd said.
“Obviously he was the smokey in last year’s draft and he has come in and absorbed everything.
“He has shown that he is not too far away.”
South Australian Ben Jarvis played for Geelong in its preseason match against Gold Coast and has shown enough improvement at half-forward to catch the eye of Mark Blicavs. Blicavs said the secondyear Cat had spent plenty of time picking the brain of defensive stalwarts Harry Taylor and Tom Stewart to learn tricks that defenders hated.
“He’s been working really closely with Harry, Tom and Jack Henry on his forward craft,” Blicavs said.
“He is strong and looking really good at the moment.”