Ablett return is not a concern
GOLD Coast Suns stand-in captain Michael Rischitelli says the team remain hopeful Gary Ablett is only another week away as the club aim to begin their climb off the bottom of the AFL ladder against Carlton tomorrow.
The Gold Coast have been presented with an enormous opportunity to begin the second half of the season on the right foot and are a realistic chance of defeating the 16thplaced Blues.
But they will have to do it without dual-Brownlow medallist Ablett, who was ruled out of the match on Thursday night. Ablett, 31, is on the comeback trail from a shoulder reconstruction.
He returned for the start of the AFL season but only managed two rounds before ending up back on the shelf.
Rischitelli said the team were disappointed Ablett could not make the trip but trusted their skipper made the right call.
“He is obviously not right,” Rischitelli said.
“We were hopeful that he would get up but Gary knows his body really well and he is not right. From what I hear he didn’t pull up too good from training.
“Hopefully next week is the week that he will be back.”
Rischitelli said Ablett’s absence presented the team with another opportunity to win without their leader following improved performances against the AFL’s top teams in recent times.
“We obviously haven’t won without him but the last month we have been playing some really good football and just had the bye,” Rischitelli said.
“Hopefully we can go down to Melbourne and keep playing the way we have been, especially in the last month.
“There has been a big improvement in the group.”
Rischitelli praised the growth of the young players who have stepped up during the club’s injury crisis.
“We sort of knew we were in a big hole early in the year but clawed our way back slowly,” he said. “The signs are good but we want to win so we will keep fighting, so hopefully this is the week we win.
“It is not what we wanted with guys getting injured but what it does is give an opportunity for young blokes to step up.”