Not a fairytale finish, but a fitting farewell
NOBODY wanted it to end like this but the drama surrounding Gary Ablett’s last night in football was a fitting finish to one of football’s most storeyed careers.
It began with hope, was interrupted with pain and finished with a graceful, if not outright sad, send off.
Fans of both sides went into Saturday night’s grand final either optimistic or wary of what Ablett would produce in his 357th and final match.
And it was almost all over within just three minutes of playing time as he braced his fall from a Trent Cotchin tackle, slamming his and the Richmond skipper’s body weight onto his troublesome left shoulder.
That was the shoulder that ended his prime and at that moment it was about to end his career.
The murmurs spread throughout the Gabba until he made his return — not for the first time — about 10 minutes later.
There would be no masterclass performance but it was a herculean effort to stay on the park.
In the third term, Ablett tried to pounce on the football in the forward 50, a move he has pulled off so many times, only to end the play on his knees at the top of the goalsquare crying out in pain and grabbing for that shoulder.
How he managed to return to the field at all shocked Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.
“He was tough. Every time I walked in to that race when I was coming out (to the ground) he was getting something done to his shoulder,” Hardwick said.
“For him to even come back out and play probably sums him up I reckon, he was incredibly brave.
“We thought he was gone, so for him to come back on and then to see him soldier on and get back in the fold probably sums up him and his career.
“It’s not the great way for him to finish his career, you probably look at him and think he probably deserves another one but the fact of the matter is he will go down as an all-time great.”
Ablett would finish with 12 touches and a loss but whenever he went near the ball, the Gabba crowd still held its breath.
“It would have been a disappointing way for him to finish if he couldn’t come back on,” Cats coach Chris Scott said.
“It looks like the likely scenario is he has some sort of crack or fracture in that shoulder so it was a remarkable effort to come back on and have the influence he did in those circumstances.”
As has been his way all through this final season, Ablett was immediately focused on his family once premiership presentations ended.
So much so that even as Richmond had the presence of mind to pause their jubilation for a moment to wander over and create a guard of honour for the champion, Ablett was on the opposite side of the ground with his wife Jordan and son Levi.
Football has always seemed to stand still for Ablett and for several minutes so too did Tiger celebrations as he made his way across the ground, with his left arm dangling limp by his side.
He could only wave to the crowd in thanks with one arm, leaving the field for the final time.
It wasn’t the fairytale end he had hoped for, with a premiership cup in hand on a September afternoon at the MCG.
Instead it was at night in Brisbane, in the most dramatic of seasons in the most dramatic of fashions.
And perhaps that was an even more fitting way for the Little Master to say goodbye.
HE WAS TOUGH. EVERY TIME I WALKED IN TO THAT RACE WHEN I WAS COMING OUT ( TO THE GROUND) HE WAS GETTING SOMETHING DONE TO HIS SHOULDER. FOR HIM TO EVEN COME BACK OUT AND PLAY PROBABLY SUMS HIM UP I RECKON, HE WAS INCREDIBLY BRAVE.”
RICHMOND COACH DAMIEN HARDWICK