It’s a stroll in the park for Gazza and Cats
GARY Ablett kicked three goals in his return to the Gold Coast as Geelong thrashed the woeful Suns by 85 points.
Ablett, a four-time best and fairest and Brownlow winner at the Suns, scored once in the third quarter and twice in the last term, to go with 37 possessions, in his side’s 17.19 (121) to 4.12 (36) humbling.
His first was a kick from just inside 50m after a handball from Jed Bews from one of countless Suns turnovers.
The second was a trademark true kick from the right pocket, a similar kick in the same part of the field to a goal that helped the Suns to victory over Geelong last year.
His third was from a setshot after he was tripped.
The Suns started well, scoring two of the first three goals in the first game of 2018 at the Metricon Stadium.
But the Cats kicked the next nine – including all eight in a scoreless second quarter for the home side – to put the game away.
In a horrendous second term, the Suns routinely gave the ball away at half-back and the Cats were allowed to waltz through the midfield with 62 more uncontested possessions.
The Suns’ woes were compounded by losing Aaron Hall to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.
Aaron Young and skipper Steven May suffered ankle injuries and Tom Lynch, in his first action since week four after resting a knee injury, looked far from fully fit.