Ablett’s return raises Cats hopes

AT Geelong, expectation is spelt A-b-l-e-t-t. It’s been their dictionary entry for most of the last four decades, starting when Gary Ablett Snr became one of the AFL’s all-time greats. Now Gary Jnr is back after seven years at Gold Coast and the return of the prodigal Cat will be one of the stories of the season.

If it all goes right, Ablett, captain Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield will form one of the greatest midfields in AFL history. On paper.

How much longer can Selwood’s body keep up with his bash-and-crash mindset? Is Ablett’s pre-season hamstring injury a minor setback, or a 33year-old’s “twang” that will echo through 2018? Then there’s the untimely hamstring strain Dangerfield suffered in the final round of pre-season action.

“If it’s possible to take my Geelong hat off for a second and remove myself from the intensity of the day-to-day ... we all should be excited,” coach Chris Scott said.

“We could be looking at three of the best players of a generation all playing together.

“One way for our club to try to approach it would be to try to manage expectations and play it down a little bit.”