AFL Cairns kicks ahead
Ablett’s appearance on field provides boost for local Aussie rules
If you think Gary Ablett Jnr’s appearance in Cairns is a flash in the pan, think again.
The modern day great’s cameo for the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs attracted one of the biggest crowds to a local AFL game in years, with some rusted-on Aussie rules types describing it as the biggest home-and-away weekend they’ve seen in decades.
And AFL Cairns will make sure the impact of Ablett’s appearance is not just a one-off mass crowd at Crathern Park but to help boost player numbers to further strengthen Aussie rules as the No. 1 sport for children in the Far North.
“We were strategic with that. We knew the impact is one in a million – sometimes it’s important to step back and realise what happened, and (today) was one of those days,” AFL Cairns general manager Craig Lees said. “It’s iconic in terms of AFL Cairns’ history.
“You don’t get 3000 people turn up to community footy without such an influential person and role model.
“We’ll put a doco together and we’ll utilise that to leverage participation, growth, really just try to catapult how well our competition is run.
“He said the reason he came here, not just for his ex-teammates, was he’d heard so many good things about the competition and in his summary said it couldn’t have been truer.”
Ablett made his first big impact less than a minute into the Bulldogs’ clash with North Cairns Tigers, with the 38year-old kicking an outstanding goal from the left pocket in a video which has gone viral.
It showed the 38-year-old hadn’t lost a bit of his magic touch despite it being just his second game since retiring from the AFL in 2020.
Ablett’s effort might very well be an early favourite for the Cairns Total Physio Goal of the Year, an award presented at the league’s Crathern Medal at the end of the season.
“I said if you want to get your Genesis six-month membership you have to be present on the night,” Lees laughed.
“The legacy he leaves as a player is outstanding but the community engagement work he’s done and the social impact he’s had on footy, and community and his charities, that’s the legacy that will keep kids playing our game up here for a long time to come.”