Ablett sets record straight

[1980GFVideo]

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Yeah. That approach never worked for Ron Barassi, did it? Just ask Carlton and North Melbourne.

Barassi's style is very outdated and worked years back when it was a different generation of young players and the game comprised of less instructions and more 'DO SOMETHING' philosophy that required constant rockets.

Look at how a guy like Ablett reacts to gently jibes from Thompson. How would he respond to one of Barassis rants. I dont believe Ablett is a wimp just a guy from a generation that you dont get the best of if you speak to them as a child. By the early eighties Barassis style had worn thin on meatheads like Zantuck.

 

[winty]

Can anyone remember when the media was hounding Ottens in 2005, and Bomber came out and said "Leave him alone, all of you. All of you!"?

Funny how five years later he sees fit to potentially hound our best player out of the club for a perceived lack of loyalty.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Can anyone remember when the media was hounding Ottens in 2005, and Bomber came out and said "Leave him alone, all of you. All of you!"?

Funny how five years later he sees fit to potentially hound our best player out of the club for a perceived lack of loyalty.

odd interpretation. "Perceived"??? Ablett signed a Heads of Agreement with the Gold Coast at the end of '09. It's no coincidence that every single player who as alleged to do the same thing ended up at the Gold Coast.

You're talking as though Thompson's actions caused Ablett to want out, rather than the truth, which is the exact opposite.

I agree Thompson was petulant, but to see a scenario and attibute the causal effect completely the wrong way around is odd in the extreme

 

[darren forssman]

However it is clear that after your Brownlow win in 2009 the club could have signed you in a new Contract.

the interview with cookie a week ago he said they did put a contract to ablett during the 2009 season and he pulled out of negotiations.

odd interpretation. "Perceived"??? Ablett signed a Heads of Agreement with the Gold Coast at the end of '09.

or maybe even earlier. i wouldnt be surprised if the suns offering nate a gig was also a stipulation from gary if he signed with them. and nate would only ever play if he knew he was going to play with gary. so much dodgy bulleesheet was going on.

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

the interview with cookie a week ago he said they did put a contract to ablett during the 2009 season and he pulled out of negotiations.



or maybe even earlier. i wouldnt be surprised if the suns offering nate a gig was also a stipulation from gary if he signed with them. and nate would only ever play if he knew he was going to play with gary. so much dodgy bulleesheet was going on.

Who gives a FF, both Bomber and Ablett deserve nothing but our appreciation. They have together steered us through our most successful period of club history and giving us nothing but great memories.... Both are entitled to move on and seek further challenges, i have no problem with this and would welcome them back at any stage to celebrate the accomplishments over their journey at Geelong.

Time to move on, we are in the Scott era now and we are still in a very healthy position due to the efforts of both Gaz and Thompson...they have done more for this club then any media critique or fan loyalty over any period of time.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Something else I noticed about the article. In it, Ablett said that the row occurred in or around Round 5, when Bomber asked Ablett when he will sign a new contract. Well, I don't think Joel Selwood had re-signed either at that stage (I'm sure it was later in the season he re-signed). How come Thompson didn't hound Selwood about his contract at the same time?

Was it because (a) Selwood wasn't being talked about leaving like Ablett was, or (b) was Ablett has jokingly alluded to in the past, that Bomber favours Selwood, and the meeting had more to do on Bomber's opinion of Gary Ablett, than what he was doing.

Maybe Bomber is resentful that no-one was offering him $10 million over 5 years, like GC offered Gazza. He probably believed that, in his day, players were never offered any of the sort of money they are today, and it sticks in his craw. What he forgets is, in his day, he could earn extra income doing another job (in Bomber's case, being an electrician), whereas today, heaven forbid if a thrid party wants to sponsor a player, and a player makes a cent outside the arachic and restrictive salary cap (the AFL is hypocritical in this, as the Rising Star used to get an investment portfolio, and yet, is that not making money outside the salary cap?)

Another thing. If Ablett told Bomber what he wanted to know, what was Bomber going to do with that? He talks about needing team harmony, so there would be no way Bomber would keep Ablett around, and may even use it as an excuse to cut the "thorn in his side". Gary Ablett may be greedy, and disloyal, but he isn't stupid. He knew that telling Bomber the truth meant a one-way ticket out of Geelong ASAP.

 

[d_henderson1810]

In the end, does it really matter? It's the past. The children have both left to play in another field. So forget Ablett, forget Bomber! Let's focus on the Scott era, where there will hopefully be no infighting (because you don't want to get on the wrong side of a Scott brother).

Let's look to our future, which will be fresh, exciting, and hopefully, successful. I also hope that Taylor Hunt fits into Ablett's spot in the midfield quite nicely.

 

[David the Cat]

I think its pretty clear that Thompson knew what was going on. The rumours of Ablett approaching the GC himself...signing an MOU....failing to commit to the GFC... it is naive to think that friends/contacts hadnt made it clear to those in control that Ablett was as good as gone.

Empathising with Thompson for a moment, it would be immensely frustrating, given the ethic Thompson had instilled in the playing group, to have a player of Ablett's stature remaining silent on his intentions. Thompson at that stage would have been looking at the long term as well, and had nothing concrete concerning his star player to plan around. He would have also been aware of the impact Abletts silence would have on team cohesion...Ablett wasnt being transparent with anyone. Selwood on the other hand had been transparent and no doubt when asked had made it clear that he intended to sign. Hence Thompson's endorsementand and stated admiration of Selwood. It was in stark contrast to Gary Ablett.

Was Ablett in a position to publicly state he had committed to GC? My understanding is that the GCFC couldnt sign players in advance...and particularly one who was still under contract. He could have just said I wont be signing next year to the Cats powerbrokers, and who knows whether they would have sacked him on the spot if he had. I somehow doubt it, but again, whichever route was taken, team cohesion would have sufferred.

In essence, Geelong were on a hiding to nothing.

Thompson going and Scott arriving post Ablett is the best result as far as I am concerned. The Geelong Football Club will, in the long run, be better off and more cohesive as a group post 2010. You can bet Scott will be concentrating on that very issue right up to game #1.

I believe we will be a threat in 2011 as a result....

 

[darren forssman]

Who gives a FF, both Bomber and Ablett deserve nothing but our appreciation. They have together steered us through our most successful period of club history and giving us nothing but great memories.... Both are entitled to move on and seek further challenges, i have no problem with this and would welcome them back at any stage to celebrate the accomplishments over their journey at Geelong.

Time to move on, we are in the Scott era now and we are still in a very healthy position due to the efforts of both Gaz and Thompson...they have done more for this club then any media critique or fan loyalty over any period of time.

i was responding atsam saying that we should have inked ablett up.

i have moved on, doesnt mean i dont think either went about it the right way.

and the signing of scott was the best thing.

 

[akababy]

Apparently Dean Robinson wanted to stay till the end of 2010 despite agreeing to a new deal at Gold Coast. I have been told that he received his marching orders in approx. RD 16 by MT from an AFL fitness assistant. So now you have Hinkley, Ablett and Robinson at Gold Coast so one can see where the angst is coming from maybe. Seems a poor move by Thompson to let your main fitness guy go coming into finals but he probably thought he could pull it off himself. Maybe that is what Ablett is talking about also re interference?? Added to that Haines was not kept so seems odd that Robinson would have been let go if Haines was not seen as a leader. Did Thompson think he could do it all? One only has to remember the vision of Malthouse talking to his fitness guy ASAP after the replay. The move may have cost GFC a flag in 2010? In 2006 the team lost game after game when the fitness person was sacked after disagreements with Thompson in March 2006 after being on top of the ladder.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

odd interpretation. "Perceived"??? Ablett signed a Heads of Agreement with the Gold Coast at the end of '09. It's no coincidence that every single player who as alleged to do the same thing ended up at the Gold Coast.

You're talking as though Thompson's actions caused Ablett to want out, rather than the truth, which is the exact opposite.

I agree Thompson was petulant, but to see a scenario and attibute the causal effect completely the wrong way around is odd in the extreme

I agree, and I don't think we can blame Thompson for Ablett leaving, however that works both ways, so Thompson can't blame Ablett for the way he lost his cool and handled things quite unprofessionally. Each is responsible for his own behaviour.

 

[ATSAM]

Had also heard that Robinson wanted to stay until the end of the season AND that Cook had agreed and all was ok. Enter the that Coach who threw a tantrum yelling about loyalty and goodbye Robinson.
That team played the season with one arm tied behind their back. How good are they?.
The waste of 2010 by Thompson makes me angry- remember the players were still trying their hardest. And Gary jnr most of all right until the last game we played.
Thompson could be seen to have ben planning this year for failure for some sort of mad revenge on the club that had censured him way back in 2006.
The clubs problem was that it continued to back him, to cover for him and to not tell the truth for and about him.
Despite that the players won 2 GF- imagine how hopeless the club would have looked if they had not.

 

[AidanNelson2009]

Screw you Mark Thompson. Anyway, i think Gazza would have left even if Bomber handled the situation better. Bomber really screwed up the 2010 season, he should have just kept going and doing his usual things and being supportive of Gazza about the whole thing, not be a little bitch and have a cry because Ablett wasn't re-newing his contract. At the end of the day, the money envolved is the reason why Ablett left, because if Bomber is the reason he left, Gazza would still be here because Bomber is now at Essendon. I know this may sound stupid, but i actually think Ablett will return to the Cats in 2 years time, he regrets leaving.

 

[vinum coupe]

ha ha. *smacks forehead*
This keeps getting better.

 

[noclashjumpers]

Screw you Mark Thompson. Anyway, i think Gazza would have left even if Bomber handled the situation better. Bomber really screwed up the 2010 season, he should have just kept going and doing his usual things and being supportive of Gazza about the whole thing, not be a little bitch and have a cry because Ablett wasn't re-newing his contract. At the end of the day, the money envolved is the reason why Ablett left, because if Bomber is the reason he left, Gazza would still be here because Bomber is now at Essendon. I know this may sound stupid, but i actually think Ablett will return to the Cats in 2 years time, he regrets leaving.

Are you referring to Ablett returning, or your entire post? I'm thinking that latter.

 

[Vdubs]

Are you referring to Ablett returning, or your entire post? I'm thinking that latter.

Good one. Imagine paying off the tail end of his new contract! No, we'll have to wait the 5 years.

 

[AM]

Screw you Mark Thompson. Anyway, i think Gazza would have left even if Bomber handled the situation better. Bomber really screwed up the 2010 season, he should have just kept going and doing his usual things and being supportive of Gazza about the whole thing, not be a little bitch and have a cry because Ablett wasn't re-newing his contract. At the end of the day, the money envolved is the reason why Ablett left, because if Bomber is the reason he left, Gazza would still be here because Bomber is now at Essendon. I know this may sound stupid, but i actually think Ablett will return to the Cats in 2 years time, he regrets leaving.

Do you also think the earth is flat?

 

[_Me_]

Do you also think the earth is flat?

and nathan is coming back too

 

[AidanNelson2009]

Do you also think the earth is flat?

Haha funny joke you douche.

 

[AM]

Haha funny joke you douche.

I thought so but I guess you need a sense of humour. After all you did preface your comment with "this may sound stupid". As the subsequent posts show maybe that's the point at which the alarm bells should have kicked in.