Opinion Gary Ablett Senior

[Cursed Cat]

Ablett senior was just extraordinary to watch live. Never seen anyone quite like him and yes, people went to games just to see him play. Saw him regularly at the G give the poor old Tigers a bath-was just behind the goals when he kicked 13 or something? one year against them. Wayne Carey, I have no doubt, still hasn't forgiven Geelong/Ablett for 94 prelim. Was at the ground and it was electric atmosphere. ( although he had an ordinary game till last minute) Anyway feel privileged to have seen him play, quite something, so exciting.

especially against Richmond

nice little clip on the club website focussing on the very game you mentioned romeoh (it was 14 goals, btw!)

http://www.geelongcats.com.au/video/2014-04-30/ablett-snr-the-tiger-tamer

 

[romeoh]

nice little clip on the club website focussing on the very game you mentioned romeoh (it was 14 goals, btw!)

http://www.geelongcats.com.au/video/2014-04-30/ablett-snr-the-tiger-tamer

Top stuff thanks for that CC! 14 incredible isn't it.

 

[SJ]

http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/app...0&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news940519_0119_9497

Ablett, a champion in our time who keeps turning on the magic
Author: Robert Walls
Date: 19/05/1994
Words: 632
Publication: The Age
Section: Football Extra
Page: 1
WE SHOULD all feel privileged to see in the flesh a true Australian champion sportsman, one Gary Ablett.
People born in the second half of the century grew up listening to tales about the great deeds of Bradman, Lindrum, Phar Lap and Coleman.

To play against Skilton, Stewart and Matthews was special. To play with Nicholls, Doull and Jesaulenko was sensational. But the pick of them all is Ablett.

In his early years, the brilliance was there, but there were still plenty of doubters. Not now. Two grey areas no longer exist. Yes, he can perform when the real pressure is on (nine goals in the 1989 grand final) and, yes, he can sustain that high level of performance over a long period of time. Ablett is now into his 11th season and approaching 200 AFL games.

Like many geniuses, there is a touch of eccentricity about Ablett that has been well documented. In 1984, after a month of goals galore, Geelong was to play Fitzroy at the Junction Oval.

We had tracked Geelong's training, and there had been no sign of No.5.

My hopes soared when I was informed that he had not travelled with the team bus. A crook feeling in the gut occurred when he ran on to the field. Etched into my mind forever is the sight of him kicking a goal over his shoulder from the 50-metre line. Unbelievable.

At Carlton, the theory was that he would not take responsibility for an opponent, so hard-running Tom Alvin was used to run off him with moderate success, especially when Ablett played at half-forward. He is less exploitable at full-forward and, given space there, is a potent force with his speed, strength and skill.

Ablett is a footballer's footballer. Within the ranks, his peers marvel at him. Former Geelong players now with Brisbane speak in awe of ``Gazza".

Ablett's brilliance rates with that of Jesaulenko and Daicos, his week-in, week-out value with that of Doull and Schimmelbusch, his presence with that of Nicholls and Matthews.

Added to all that is a nice touch of mongrel hardness, for have no fear: when he hits you, you stay hit. Only the very inexperienced or the very stupid are unaware of his whereabouts on the field.

The only player I have seen intimidate the Geelong champ was David Rhys-Jones who kept the subdued Cat to a handful of ineffective possessions one day at Waverley in 1987.

But Rhys-Jones had plenty of support as each of his teammates had made sure to tell Ablett before the first bounce that this was to be square-up day.

The old-timers say Coleman pulled neutral supporters through the gates to marvel at the great full-forward's acrobatic talents.

Well, Ablett is the only footballer that I have gone specifically to watch. When the Blues gave me involuntary retirement in mid '89, I got my kicks watching the Supercat star.

Kicking nine goals in a losing side in the 1989 grand final was Ablett's day of total credibility in AFL ranks.

And, now the end is near, he continues to provide a smorgasbord of football delights.

Three stand out in the past fortnight.

The first is the overhead goal from the behind post during the state- of-origin match against South Australia in Adelaide, the second is the mark of the century at the MCG over Collingwood's Gary Pert, and the third is the 14-goal haul in Sydney last Sunday.

My son asked for a Gary Ablett tape as his Christmas present: we have watched it countless times.

I am an unashamed Ablett fan, and so, too, should you be for we are privileged to be able to witness this champion in our time.

http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/app...0&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news940519_0119_9497

 

[Bobby_]

http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=ablett&pb=all_ffx&dt=enterRange&dr=1month&sd=01/01/1994&ed=01/01/1995&so=relevance&sf=text&rc=200&rm=200&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news940519_0119_9497

http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=ablett&pb=all_ffx&dt=enterRange&dr=1month&sd=01/01/1994&ed=01/01/1995&so=relevance&sf=text&rc=200&rm=200&sp=adv&clsPage=1&docID=news940519_0119_9497

great read and it's strange listening to video tapes back in his day where he was widely regarded as the man but since his retirement, he's slowly taken a backward step to the likes of Matthews, Carey and now his son but that article kind of reinstates his stature in the game back in 1994.

 

[SJ]

great read and it's strange listening to video tapes back in his day where he was widely regarded as the man but since his retirement, he's slowly taken a backward step to the likes of Matthews, Carey and now his son but that article kind of reinstates his stature in the game back in 1994.

The lack of a premiership costs him greatly when assessing from almost two decades on.

 

[Bobby_]

The lack of a premiership costs him greatly when assessing from almost two decades on.

I agree, almost like Peyton Manning of the NFL who's constantly being compared to the immortals but knocked back due to only having the 1 Superbowl ring.
Sliding doors. . . Snr stays at Hawthorn, has himself multiple premierships.

 

[SJ]

I agree, almost like Peyton Manning of the NFL who's constantly being compared to the immortals but knocked back due to only having the 1 Superbowl ring.
Sliding doors. . . Snr stays at Hawthorn, has himself multiple premierships.

That's why it's important for historians to continue to refer back to references from the time itself rather than make judgements from clouded memories.

 

[Partridge]

That's why it's important for historians to continue to refer back to references from the time itself rather than make judgements from clouded memories.

Speaking of which, I noticed on the club's website when they were talking about his 14 goals against Richmond, it said "9 goals to half time". They could have asked some of us who were there and have half-decent memories - he kicked (in order) 4, 2, 3, 5 goals per quarter that day.

6 to half time. 9 to three quarter time.

 

[Partridge]

The lack of a premiership costs him greatly when assessing from almost two decades on.

Which is ridiculous really when you're assessing individual players. Lockett is still the best full forward I've ever seen and no premiership medals doesn't diminish that in the slightest.

 

[SJ]

Speaking of which, I noticed on the club's website when they were talking about his 14 goals against Richmond, it said "9 goals to half time". They could have asked some of us who were there and have half-decent memories - he kicked (in order) 4, 2, 3, 5 goals per quarter that day.

6 to half time. 9 to three quarter time.

I wouldn't rely on the club website to get the time of our next match correct, never mind that.

 

[Bobby_]

Which is ridiculous really when you're assessing individual players. Lockett is still the best full forward I've ever seen and no premiership medals doesn't diminish that in the slightest.

and his goal average in finals was 3.9 per game, Dunstall 3.7 goals while Ablett's was 4.

 

[El Dubya]

Which is ridiculous really when you're assessing individual players. Lockett is still the best full forward I've ever seen and no premiership medals doesn't diminish that in the slightest.

Best full forward you've seen, but a lot of people haven't seen the great forwards and can only go by their records.
If I made a best 22 of players I've seen it would be very different to the Team of the Century.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[David the Cat]

My father, who knew his footy, said Coleman was the best player he ever saw….but rated Ablett Snr close behind.

Haven't seen Coleman's stats to be honest, though stats don't tell the whole story anyway….at least they didn't before FF.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Best full forward you've seen, but a lot of people haven't seen the great forwards and can only go by their records.
If I made a best 22 of players I've seen it would be very different to the Team of the Century.

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Picking a Team of the Century and a Best 22 you've seen are, obviously two completely different things.
If picking a Team of the Century you need to take into account not just the individual records, but more importantly, how good they were in comparison to their actual opposition; and this is something which, practically, you can only get from comments and reportage from opponents, team-mates and journalists made at the time he was playing, or very soon thereafter.
This is partly because individual records are scrappy in early cases, and also because they can be heavily influenced by changes in the rules and styles of play.
I note that the Team of the Century Selectors picked only players who at least some them had seen, or who were playing recently enough for them and their contemporaries to remember. Which is probably why Bunton and Dyer were the earliest picked; if Beames and/or Jacobs didn't actually see them play (and they very probably did), they knew plenty of people who did, and would undoubtedly have discussed them with those people over the years.

 

[SJ]

Picking a Team of the Century and a Best 22 you've seen are, obviously two completely different things.
If picking a Team of the Century you need to take into account not just the individual records, but more importantly, how good they were in comparison to their actual opposition; and this is something which, practically, you can only get from comments and reportage from opponents, team-mates and journalists made at the time he was playing, or very soon thereafter.
This is partly because individual records are scrappy in early cases, and also because they can be heavily influenced by changes in the rules and styles of play.
I note that the Team of the Century Selectors picked only players who at least some them had seen, or who were playing recently enough for them and their contemporaries to remember. Which is probably why Bunton and Dyer were the earliest picked; if Beames and/or Jacobs didn't actually see them play (and they very probably did), they knew plenty of people who did, and would undoubtedly have discussed them with those people over the years.

Here you go:

Given the lamentable state of affairs outlined above, there is little wonder that other ‘official’ historical initiatives exhibit the same characteristics. The ‘AFL Team of Century’ also turned out to be the ‘Team of the halcyon days’, with some minor concessions to the greats of previous and latter eras. In this case thirteen of the twenty-one selections played senior footy in 1970-71 alone. Not surprisingly there were no representatives who debuted before 1931, except the umpire, the token salute to the first seven decades years of Victorian football! - See more at: http://australianfootball.com/artic...ustralianfootball.com/70#sthash.xmRePS41.dpuf

 

[FredLeDeux]

Here you go:

Yes, that's undoubtedly the shortcoming of relying on (direct or indirect) personal knowledge; you get more certainty, but the trade-off is it becomes a team of the half-century.
The shortcoming of relying on other reportage is that it nearly always is exactly that - reportage of contemporary journalists, even if distilled by professional or amateur historians - and we have no info as to how accurate the journalists were deemed to be by their subject-players.
I don't think anyone has come up with an ideal solution, and I'm not sure that there is one.
You can be pretty sure, however, that in Teams chosen for public consumption, the result is going to include a large proportion of players directly known to a majority of consumers, and/or household names. But the selectors must be congratulated on their refusal to bow to the Collingwood Army of Mass Disfunction by including someone who wasn't up to the standard. Even if it was at the cost of including Silvagni.

 

[SJ]

On this day, 20 years ago:

 

[SJ]

Cat defence stands up and makes it count
Author: ASHLEY BROWNE
Date: 08/05/1994
Words: 668
Publication: The Age
Section: Sport Extra
Page: 35
It was quite fitting, that in the year in which that photo of the Loch Ness Monster was found to be a hoax, that another theory was yesterday shot down in flames at the MCG.
Until yesterday it was thought that Geelong could not play defensive football. Before the match with Collingwood at the MCG, the Geelong definition of a football field was a corridor measuring about 180 metres by about 50 metres.

And the game was meant to be played as if in a time trial - whip the ball from one end of the ground to the other as quickly as possible.

About the only time-wasting tactic known to the Cats was to pull up their socks before kicking for goal.

But then along came the Magpies and their gritty eight-goal third term, which frightened the life out of the Cats. So much so that they were forced to try new tactics in the final stanza, in order to preserve their lead. The Cats hugged the boundary, scragged, harassed and generally held up proceedings wherever possible.

The tactic worked like a charm for the first 20 minutes. The Pies, who had whittled their 53-point half-time deficit to just 16 points at the final change, could bridge the gap no further. Indeed, the Cats seemed poised to strangle the life out of Collingwood until that man Gary Ablett took that mark and settled the issue.

Although Ablett missed the shot, it served as the spark to get the Cats firing on all cylinders again. Garry Hocking ran into an open goal soon afterwards, and then weaved his way through the shell- shocked Magpie backline and followed with a freakish snap for another to ice the game finally for the Cats.

Of course, it should have been in the refrigerator well before that.

Geelong's first half was breathtaking and for most sides, save for Geelong and Sydney, should have been sufficient. Legs fresh and minds clear after a 15-day break, the Cats were brilliant in the first quarter, ramming on 7.3 to a solitary behind.

``It's always hard to judge whether they were playing super or we were playing poorly, although you always think it is you that is playing poorly and that was true," said Magpie coach Leigh Matthews.

Geelong's dominance was sparked by a brilliant midfield as well as having Ken Hinkley running off half-back unchecked. Andrew Wills, Paul Couch, Liam Pickering and Shayne Breuer worked at fever pitch, while the tackling in and around the centre was outstanding and the resultant turnovers created many scoring thrusts.

The Cats also gained enormous drive from John Barnes, who dominated the centre bounces and then dropped back across half-back to repel whatever Hinkley did not. Up forward, second-year stand-in centre half-forward Ben Graham was carrying out a marvellous impression of Barry Stoneham with some spring-heeled marking and accurate kicking for goal. The real Stoneham was a late withdrawal because of a thigh injury.

Geelong's dominance continued in the second quarter, even though Collingwood started to make an impression on the scoreboard. But in the third term, the Pies finally made inroads.

Mark Fraser nullified Hinkley, while Tony Shaw and Bradley Plain started to provide midfield drive. Fresh off the bench, Shaw had an outstanding quarter on Garry Hocking with 11 possessions. Plain enjoyed a rare respite from the forward pocket, while Michael McGuane, Gavin Brown and Paul Williams also broke free in a term that Matthews said was as good as the first term was bad.

Then came the final term in which Geelong successfully managed to save the game. Some would say that represented a major change of outlook by the Cats, but coach Malcolm Blight was a little more understated. ``I think we tightened up a bit."

Make that, a lot.

Geelong 18.16 (124)
Collingwood 13.18 (98)

Ablett puts his mark up there with the finest
Author: STEPHEN LINNELL
Date: 08/05/1994
Words: 467
Publication: The Age
Section: Sport Extra
Page: 33
``I guess I'd have to rate it as one of my better marks, I suppose, but not one of my better landings." - Geelong full-forward Gary Ablett.
With those choice words, Stellar Ablett summed up what will go down as one of the great marks in Australian football.

Up he rose, sweetly on to the right shoulder of Gary Pert, the 187- centimetre Collingwood defender. He sat there momentarily, as if in a custom-made saddle, before lurching almost 40 degrees.

Somehow, as the crowd rose as one, he managed deftly to hold out his left arm and drag the ball, with two attempts, into his body, before capsizing like a punctured liferaft.

He landed with a thud, a particularly nasty one that sent the Geelong medical team running to their fallen forward and left the crowd agape.

``I didn't think I had much choice, really," Ablett said later.

``The ball was there so I went for it. It all happened pretty quickly."

The landing hurt. It took several minutes for Ablett to regain breath, let alone his composure. Somehow, he managed to take his kick, which wobbled impotently to the left for a point. It deserved more.

The landing bruised his lower back and buttocks (leaving him in doubt for next Sunday's game against Sydney) and made it difficult to kick.

``But I still should have steadied and probably should have kicked the goal, that's disappointing," he said."

The high-flying mark has been Ablett's trademark in the past, though in recent years, Great Grab Gazza has become more earthbound, more content to out-muscle an opponent.

Still, he has retained that unique ability to pull something out of the ordinary. Last Tuesday, his over-the-head goal in the state-of- origin game was superb; yesterday's mark was even more spectacular.

``All you do is keep your eyes on the ball, I suppose, and just hope you hold them," he said. ``I've made a conscious effort to try to keep my feet more and to be more selective in my marks. That's what I've been doing and I think I have benefited from it."

Ablett's timing was deft on two fronts. At that stage, late in the final quarter, the Cats needed a lift. Ablett, and indeed Pert, supplied it.

Sometimes, said Geelong coach Malcolm Blight, it is those extraordinary individual efforts that can determine the flow of a game. And, indeed, from that point, Geelong looked more comfortable, more assured, and eventually ran out a comfortable winner.

``(I've seen) a lot of super marks, but not too many you could say were better," said Collingwood coach Leigh Matthews.

``I wish we had him at our end."

So does everyone else.

 

[Bobby_]

On this day, 20 years ago:

lol

That is awesome! Great job turning that old black & white photo to life SJ

(widescreen looks terrific also)

 

[SJ]

lol

That is awesome! Great job turning that old black & white photo to life SJ

(widescreen looks terrific also)

Thanks! Might have taken inspiration from a similar effort in an old video of yours...

 

[Bobby_]

Thanks! Might have taken inspiration from a similar effort in an old video of yours...

did you ever manage to find the original Rex Hunt commentary to that particular passage of play?
I tried the 3AW office but they weren't very helpful, tried the state library and lady there was very helpful but ultimately, no record of that game.

I can remember the drive home that evening and we were listening to the call by Rex and it was one of the best of his career, very emotional and typically brilliant when it came to calling Geelong games.

 

[SJ]

did you ever manage to find the original Rex Hunt commentary to that particular passage of play?
I tried the 3AW office but they weren't very helpful, tried the state library and lady there was very helpful but ultimately, no record of that game.

I can remember the drive home that evening and we were listening to the call by Rex and it was one of the best of his career, very emotional and typically brilliant when it came to calling Geelong games.

I've only got it as part of the various tracks on The Music Men's 'Ablett's in the Air'.

 

[AM]

Just by the bye. Senior was a visitor to a restaurant run by someone known to me last week. He was with Michael Tuck. They had been involved in a function nearby. As a fellow Cat he asked senior whether junior was ever likely to head back. No chance he said. He's settled on the GC. Loves it there and intends making it his home post his football days.

 

[candiehappy]

Just by the bye. Senior was a visitor to a restaurant run by someone known to me last week. He was with Michael Tuck. They had been involved in a function nearby. As a fellow Cat he asked senior whether junior was ever likely to head back. No chance he said. He's settled on the GC. Loves it there and intends making it his home post his football days.

and they way the GC are going, he'll be hunting another flag in the next year or two ... good luck to him, always a champion of the GFC

 

[you pick one]

The lack of a premiership costs him greatly when assessing from almost two decades on.

Yep that can have an impact on many things ,example some years back now some one sent me a book ironbark legends Garry Ablett .It sits on top of the book case for all to see,I'm not a big reader but I can't even get through that,why? to painful, one flag would have changed every thing at least for me.