THE wait is over — Gary Ablett is going home.
After months of growing speculation of his return to Geelong, the 33-year-old Gold Coast midfielder put pen to paper for the Cats after seven season with the Suns.
Ablett’s move gives Geelong their best chance at taking a premiership since taking the flag in 2011 over Collingwood.
The legend’s long-awaited return also means Geelong will have one of the most potent midfields in the competition with a star-studded line-up featuring hard-as-nails Joel Selwood and 2016 Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield.
But as Ablett’s fairytale homecoming approaches — Geelong has found itself in a bit of a pickle.
Herald Sun footy journalist Jon Ralph says the Cats have to fight tooth and nail to keep the ageing Ablett in top shape after unearthing an uncomfortable stat about the former Suns skipper.
“How does Geelong keep Gary Ablett fit until September?” Ralph said on SEN’s The Run Home Tuesday.
“I look back at the stats, in the last four years he has played a single game after Round 17.
“He’s had hamstring tendon issues, he’s had shoulder issues, and sometimes people have said he hasn’t necessarily wanted to play those games. I don’t know what it was all about.”
“Do they not play him in away games? Do they say to him like Nick Riewoldt and Alex Rance, ‘we’ll see you after Christmas — and you know what we might start you in Round 4 or Round 6’,” he said.
“Nothing he does in the first 15 weeks can win them a premiership, he can certainly lose them a premiership if he does a hamstring tendon.”
DEES CEO’S WATTS SLAP
Melbourne CEO Peter Jackson has slapped former No. 1 draft pick Jack Watts after the 153-game star confirmed his move to Port Adelaide in last week’s trade period.
Watts was widely accepted as a flop for the Dees and was traded for the Power’s Pick 31 in November’s draft.
Jackson said Watts’ new home will likely see the 26-year-old perform better without the added stress of being the club’s No. 1 pick.
“Jack’s not a ruthless guy, he’s not a ruthless person when he plays football. He’s a great guy, absolutely, there’s no doubt about that, everyone loves him, we all love him as a guy,” Jackson said on SEN Breakfast.
“I think he’s had unbelievable pressure put on him since he’s been at the Melbourne footy club and people would say he’s dealt with that, he may have dealt with it, but it’s like some players who have left Melbourne to go to Sydney to get away from it all.”
“I’ve heard him say at times, ‘I just wish I was pick 48’. I think that’s the calibre of player he’s been, he hasn’t been that number one draft pick, his performance, his stats don’t indicate he was the number one draft pick.
“I think it’s probably a good thing for him.”
Jackson said there was no bad blood between Watts and his former club.
“He will always be a Melbourne person,” he said. “I have no doubt he will come back to Melbourne and be a part of the Melbourne football club.”
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