Ablett no skipper, says Roos

PREMIERSHIP coach Paul Roos says Gary Ablett has already mentally checked out of Gold Coast and was never cut out to captain the club.

In a strong assessment of Ablett’s seventh season at the Suns, Roos said he looked “disenchanted” and “not fully committed to his club”.

And the former Fitzroy and Sydney great believes Geelong will seek assurance from the champion midfielder about whether he is willing to meet their defensive and positional expectations before the club commits to a deal to trade him in October.

Gold Coast is prepared to play hard ball to seek a quality return from the Cats, potentially involving Geelong defender Jake Kolodjashnij.

Roos was adamant Ablett, a dual Brownlow medallist, was still able to play at a high level, but said his leadership at the Suns missed the mark.

“He’s the best player I’ve seen. Gary had done a fantastic job from a playing point of view, [but the] biggest mistake Gold Coast have made was making him captain,” Roos said on Triple M.

“He is not a captain of a football club. Not the way captains exist now.

“It’s taking nothing away from Gary, it’s just that some people are leaders and some people are great, great players.

“He is so good he can play at about 80 per cent and still be a very effective player. He is not doing much defensively and he had obviously been injured a fair bit.”

The Cats have expressed their interest in securing Ablett back at the club but coach Chris Scott has acknowledged the trade deal would be difficult to complete.