Ablett 300th secondary to finals push
RETURNING Suns forward Callum Ah Chee says celebrating Gary Ablett’s 300th AFL game with a win over St Kilda comes secondary to Gold Coast’s need to keep their finals hopes alive.
Ah Chee said Gold Coast were not using Ablett’s milestone match to inspire their Round 13 performance as they put all their focus into securing a sixth win at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
“We know it’s his 300th game but we are going to treat it like any other week,” he said.
“It’s a blessing we get to play with Gaz in his 300th and we hope we can get a win for him but we haven’t really been focusing on it too much.
“We will be just trying to stick to the game plan and try to get a win.”
Ah Chee will play his first game in seven weeks after overcoming a back injury that flared up in the club’s Round 7 win over Geelong on May 6.
“I thought it was a bit of muscle tightness in the lower part of my back,” Ah Chee said.
“I got some scans and it was pretty much a stress response.
“It’s something you want to take into consideration and not something you want to brush under the table.
“I was kept off my legs for a while and didn’t do anything too big of a risk.
“It’s pretty much a hotspot … it’s just been a point in my lower back that’s been wearing and tearing over a certain amount of time and just started to feel it.
“We got it at a pretty good time, to be honest. It’s one of best results I could have got.”
Ah Chee was named to play in Gold Coast’s Round 10 game against Hawthorn but was a late withdrawal due to hamstring tightness.
The 19-year-old said he had no hesitation about playing against the Saints and felt the full brunt of the responsibility on the playing group who are in 14th but just four points from eighth-placed Essendon.
Ah Chee said he could inject the pressure around the ball that was lacking for large periods in the Suns loss to Carlton last week.
“One of the main things we like to focus on is our pressure,” Ah Chee said.
“We can bring a lot of heat to St Kilda and that will be what my main focus is as well as finishing if I need to and if I get the opportunity.
“I’ll be bringing a lot of pressure to the forward line and helping the boys keep it in there so we can get the best opportunity to score.”