PLUS GAZ WILL ‘BLOW PEOPLE AWAY’— SELWOOD

JOEL Selwood says Gary Ablett will produce mind-blowing football for the Cats this year after finally falling back in love with footy.

The Cats’ dual premiership champion has returned to his home town after seven seasons on the Gold Coast where at times his passion for football was questioned.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood says he hasn’t missed a beat this pre-season, believing his enthusiasm for the game will be reflected in his footy this year.

“The joy I see in his face now is something I haven’t seen for a couple of years,” he said.

“I see him bouncing around the track now and it feels like he’s a fresh mid-20s player. He has that talent and burst and he looks like he’s looking forward to playing footy again.

“He has found the love for it again which is really important because at the age he is, mid-30s, it can be hard work for some.

“I think we can help him produce some games which will just blow people away.”

Speaking on website 20FOUR’S In My Own Words series, Selwood also detailed his close relationship with premiership coach Mark Thompson.

He hopes Thompson can one day return to football, after he was arrested and then released without charge after his home was used as part of an alleged drug trafficking operation.

Thompson has often said he lost the love for football after the turbulent Essendon drugs saga.

“At first it’s sadness. I hope he is all right and things work out for him,” Selwood said of Thompson.

“It’s tough. I think he really loves footy and loves being a part of it and hopefully he can find footy again because he’s unbelievably good at it.

“He is a good family man and we will see where life takes him but I wish him all the best.”

Selwood’s heavy concussion last year against Fremantle saw him undergo more brain scans.

But he says despite the intense focus on head knocks in AFL he had no long-term con- cerns for his health.

“I have been concussed three times in 249 game career,” he said.

“I personally think we have to be careful with how people judge concussion.

“The doctors we deal with, they deal with us every single day, they have got a better indication than a third party anywhere. I think in Australia we should feel really comfortable with the work we are doing too.”