Opinion Gary Ablett Senior

[FredLeDeux]

I wonder if there is footage of gazza in the night game where he kicked the ball off the ground from outside 50 and it never touched the ground again until it had gone through the goals.

lol

Freak.

Saw Hudson do that at the Glenferrie Swamp. John Scarlett was disappointed.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Great post.

I was a little more fortunate. I was 14 the first year I started going every single week - which was 1986. I saw some games in 1984 and 1985 but after that it was more or less everything in Victoria. So I was just old enough - albeit very impressionable - to appreciate it a little more.

The first time I thought Ablett was the best player in the competition was late 1984, when he kicked 3 late goals against Richmond at the MCG and we won a close one (there is footage of a left foot snap and a torp that Jacko shepherds through). By 1985 I thought he was better again, and after I started going and seeing him every week there wasn't any doubt at all.

It wasn't just his output - averaging 4 goals a game from a half forward flank - but how he did things. For younger fans, if you combined the strength of Hawkins (pound for pound), the agility of Smedts and the burst of speed Motlop has you're getting some idea of what he was like. And he read the ball in flight better than any player I've ever seen. Then you add very real football smarts (say Steve Johnson but without the stupidity) and a genuine mean streak. Although I maintain he wasn't anywhere near as dirty as Garry Hocking or Damian Bourke.

He did the basics brilliantly - he led hard, he always marked the ball in front of his face, he rarely fell over, and his kicking on his left foot for then (or now really) was ridiculous. You just felt when he really wanted the ball nothing could stop him.

To me it wasn't that he just was our most consistent and dynamic player (and he was). It was also that he did things no one else could do, and the gap between his best and everyone else's was enormous. I met Richard Osborne through work when I was in my mid-20s and he said he thought Ablett was so far ahead of the rest there wasn't any comparison. I agree.

Ridiculously good at the contested football.
You always felt he would win the ball in a 1:1 , lethal combination of marking ability ( when wrestling or when flying for it) , as agile as hell and amazingly fast over the first 20 metres, always first to the footy. Would regularly amass 20+ touches from FF
Reputed to have a very high percentage of short twitch muscle fibre which gave him the explosiveness.
What an athlete - gave Lester Ellis a touch up when sparring , celebrity cricket matches and one athletics coach reckoned he could have trained him to be an Olympic Sprinter.
Without doubt the GOAT for mine

 

[FredLeDeux]

Great stuff.

He had the lot, really. There is a goal in one of footscore 's videos I always shake my head at, when he belts through a 60m drop punt on the left foot. I mean no one can do that, even now.

You can only shake your head at the number of times in those videos he hooked left-footers from 50m+, running across the face. Especially when you hear a certain Channel 7 commentator drooling on the odd occasion when the left-footed Franklin does it.

 

[vinum coupe]

You can only shake your head at the number of times in those videos he hooked left-footers from 50m+, running across the face. Especially when you hear a certain Channel 7 commentator drooling on the odd occasion when the left-footed Franklin does it.

The biggest thing for me was the amount of times he made people look dead set stupid.
You'd just shake your head, high five your mates, and laugh your arse off.

Abletts career was really summed up when Cometti commented "that's not a mark, it's a party trick"

 

[Vdubs]

This is probably not the place, but I reckon you'd get a serious argument there from several clubs.

As for ranking players (and I'm only speaking from my experience here) I'm not even sure that having seen them all is always enough. By the time I was old enough to go to Geelong games, Senior's career was nearly halfway over. So yeah, I saw him on TV, went to several games where he was playing, cheered for him, listened to the commentators go apeshit at some of the things he was doing, but since from the first game I saw of him to the last I was either too young to play myself, or just getting started, a lot of the things that he did didn't really register with me as to how amazing they were. I mean, I knew he was our best player, especially as I grew a little older and got a better understanding of just how bloody good he was, but at the time, I'm not sure that I considered him that much better than Couch, Hocking, Bairstow and everyone else. That probably sounds ridiculous now, but I bet there'd be other people around my age who were the same. Do you even know who the best players in the team are just by watching the game as a kid, or do you rely on what you hear from the people that take you to the games and the commentators on TV?

Since I'm pretty close to Junior's vintage, I was able to appreciate the nuances of his game that much more. It was easier to understand just how skillful he had to be to pull off some of the stuff he was doing. And I wonder if it's the same for people who were old enough to see Polly, but were a similar age as I was when I was watching Senior.

Great post.
Would love to be challenged on that trio, any club, any era; with bias, Abletts x2 and Polly would have to be the best ever trio?
Agree with you about the folklore of a great player influencing your appreciation somewhat.
I never saw the very best of Polly, but was fortunate to have him visit our school for clinics, and also witnessed him live on World of Sport scoring a perfect set of handball bullseyes. I saw him play from 63 to 67, so at that age (7-11), he impressed me less than Billy Goggin did.

 

[Seeds]

You could do a highlights package from just the Prelimary Final. His marks, goals and all around game were better than 99% of players ever reach. Very thankful I was there. I'll never forget diehard Essendon fans in front of me applauding (as the game wore on) and looking at me with open mouths after every goal or mark.

This is true. 89 was the first season I started going to games and the 89 finals series still remains my greatest football memory despite the premierships. Was at the 89 prelim as well. Greatest memory of VFL park. I thank my favourite was the goal from the boundary line outside fifty metres. Phenomenal kick. The torp where he was about 70 metres out was simply unbelievable as well. Never seen a ball kicked so high. If Brownless didn't headbutt the ball on the goal line it would of been remembered as one of the great goals of all time.

 

[David the Cat]

Yep...that goal from the boundary in the Pf against Essendon,..... 60 out....going absolutely flat strap and threading it like he was shelling peas is one of the greatest goals I have ever witnessed........and that game one of the best individual performances I have ever seen.

Truly a great player.

 

[Partridge]

This is true. 89 was the first season I started going to games and the 89 finals series still remains my greatest football memory despite the premierships. Was at the 89 prelim as well. Greatest memory of VFL park. I thank my favourite was the goal from the boundary line outside fifty metres. Phenomenal kick. The torp where he was about 70 metres out was simply unbelievable as well. Never seen a ball kicked so high. If Brownless didn't headbutt the ball on the goal line it would of been remembered as one of the great goals of all time.

Pretty sure that Tim Watson said that was the biggest kick he ever saw.

 

[grinners182]

Any one get a copy of last weeks 1.5hr Gary Ablett Snr footy flashbacks special? I turned on not knowing it was on and only saw the last 5 mins. Wanting to get a copy if anyone has a copy? Let me know if you do. Cheers

 

[Power Raid]

Any one get a copy of last weeks 1.5hr Gary Ablett Snr footy flashbacks special? I turned on not knowing it was on and only saw the last 5 mins. Wanting to get a copy if anyone has a copy? Let me know if you do. Cheers

definitely worth a watch if you can find it

that said it was basically what you would see on youtube

 

[Vdubs]

Imagine if he had the work ethic of a Rob Harvey or a James Hird...

Rob Harvey was an insane trainer, had been known to jog on the streets for an hour or so after training and after a loss. No need for insanity like that.

 

[iameviljez]

Do you think he could of been better than the greatest player of all time that he was?

Greatest of all time? Gee big call.

Even if we restrict ourselves to the televised era, Leigh Matthews, Wayne Carey come to mind... and a certain relation of his.

 

[AM]

Greatest of all time? Gee big call.

Even if we restrict ourselves to the televised era, Leigh Matthews, Wayne Carey come to mind... and a certain relation of his.

Gaz senior could play anywhere. The ultimate flexible player. Started as a winger. Played as a mid, forward flanker, key forward. Saw him absolutely pants Kernahan as a CHB when Sticks was in his prime. Matthews was a top mid and sometimes forward. Carey was a top CHF. Never came to grips with CHB.

 

[Commando]

Greatest of all time? Gee big call.

Even if we restrict ourselves to the televised era, Leigh Matthews, Wayne Carey come to mind... and a certain relation of his.

You pluck GA Snr from 25 years ago, put him in today's game and he would still dominate, he was before his time and an absolute specimen!

 

[David the Cat]

Greatest of all time? Gee big call.

Even if we restrict ourselves to the televised era, Leigh Matthews, Wayne Carey come to mind... and a certain relation of his.

I didn't see Coleman or Bunton jnr…but from Polly to now, Ablett Senior is the best I have seen.

So its not such a big call……Ablett brought people to the footy just to watch him play…..not many have done that.

 

[iameviljez]

You pluck GA Snr from 25 years ago, put him in today's game and he would still dominate, he was before his time and an absolute specimen!

Oh yeh, no doubt he would be a star. In fact, given the way that the game is biased toward powerful players in tight spaces, he may even do better.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

You could do a highlights package from just the Prelimary Final. His marks, goals and all around game were better than 99% of players ever reach. Very thankful I was there. I'll never forget diehard Essendon fans in front of me applauding (as the game wore on) and looking at me with open mouths after every goal or mark.

I was there too, unfortunately I had just driven back into Geelong from Outback Western Australia on the previous afternoon and had a big night catching up with everyone. I was a bit second hand on the way to the footy the next day and it didn't take me too long to top up again so my recollections of that particular game are a bit hazy. I'm very appreciative of the highlights that were posted earlier

The day he kicked 14 against Essendon in '93 coincided with my bucks day/night. We were settled in at my best man's place for a bbq and a few quiet beers to listen to the footy before going out. Before the game started we decided we'd drink a beer every time he kicked a goal. We ended up shotgunning them (something which I'd never tried before) just so we could keep up.

The first time that I ever saw him play was in a practise game against the Swans at Kardinia. He still wasn't an official Geelong player then, they were still working out the legalities with Hawthorn. I only stayed for the first half because I had to work that afternoon. He was on the wing and kicked 2.6 in the first half from the wing. He was launching them from 55 / 60m on both feet.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Brilliant summary.
Greg Williams, Rob Walls, Nicky Winmar just to name a few, said exactly that too.
That Richmond game you noted, Mike Turner who was captain, told us that he recognised only Ablett could rescue us that day, and suggested to him to pull the finger out, and , literally, BANG.

I think the story was that Gazza said to Turkey, 'what do you reckon' when they were forming up in the centre again. Turkey said, 'I reckon one more will do it'. Gazza said right oh. Grabbed it for the centre clearance and slammed one through.

 

[Partridge]

The first time that I ever saw him play was in a practise game against the Swans at Kardinia. He still wasn't an official Geelong player then, they were still working out the legalities with Hawthorn. I only stayed for the first half because I had to work that afternoon. He was on the wing and kicked 2.6 in the first half from the wing. He was launching them from 55 / 60m on both feet.

I had a similar experience, much further into his career. I saw him in a practice match vs St.Kilda in Boronia in the 1993 pre-season (I lived in Bayswater so it was very close, which was great). In the 2nd quarter, Sean Ralphsmith outmarked him once right in front of us on the half forward line, so of course a few St.Kilda fans started bagging Ablett. Being a small crowd and being very close, he could hear everything clearly. In the next 5 minutes, in exactly the same spot, he outmarked him 3 times - two one-handers on each hand, and a ridiculously strong mark in front of his face. Went back from 55m - goal, goal, goal. The fan's face was priceless. Ralphsmith loped around like a orphaned puppy for the rest of the game.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Great post.
Would love to be challenged on that trio, any club, any era; with bias, Abletts x2 and Polly would have to be the best ever trio?
Agree with you about the folklore of a great player influencing your appreciation somewhat.
I never saw the very best of Polly, but was fortunate to have him visit our school for clinics, and also witnessed him live on World of Sport scoring a perfect set of handball bullseyes. I saw him play from 63 to 67, so at that age (7-11), he impressed me less than Billy Goggin did.

Reynolds, Hutchison and Coleman would be a fairly handy trio

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

There's the iconic image of Michael Jordan launching from the top of they key and floating all the way into the basket and rolling it on off the ends of his fingers. Ablett was like that marking a lot of the time. He could take off early and hang in the air while momentum carried him to the contest and he'd just about squeeze the air out of the ball when he clamped his hands around it.

 

[Vdubs]

I think the story was that Gazza said to Turkey, 'what do you reckon' when they were forming up in the centre again. Turkey said, 'I reckon one more will do it'. Gazza said right oh. Grabbed it for the centre clearance and slammed one through.

Sorry, this is when Turkey was playing as a deep fwd, and Ablett as hff.
But it may have happened > once

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Just read the first page from 2007. Those saying that Judd could well overtake Ablett as the best they've seen

He was one of god's own prototypes. No one was or will ever be like him.

 

[candiehappy]

Oh yeh, no doubt he would be a star. In fact, given the way that the game is biased toward powerful players in tight spaces, he may even do better.

I seem to recall you saying he had a bad day if he kicked less than 10 ?

 

[iameviljez]

I seem to recall you saying he had a bad day if he kicked less than 10 ?

In 1993 Geelong often had bad days when he kicked MORE than ten.