Injury puts Gaz out of Dees clash

GARY Ablett has sent a scare through the Suns camp with the star midfielder ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Melbourne with a shoulder injury.

The former skipper failed a fitness test yesterday after injuring his right shoulder twice in consecutive weeks against Geelong and Port Adelaide respectively.

“We thought with the twoweek rest before this weekend’s match against Melbourne he’d be OK,” Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

Ablett walked off the field clutching his right shoulder and in obvious pain during Gold Coast’s 25-point win over Geelong in Round 7.

The mere thought of the Suns superstar and shoulder problems is enough to send a shudder through the club.

The 33-year-old’s past three seasons have been marred by injuries to his left shoulder, requiring two operations.

Ashcroft said it was purely a muscular problem with no structural or bone damage and the club remained confident he would return next week.

“It’s not a structural thing, it’s not a bone thing. It’s more just a muscular thing where it’s a bit sore,” Ashcroft said.

“For him it’s more a confidence and pain issue. He has high standards and you want to make sure that you can play close to 100 per cent.”