The Age Footy Legend no 7: Gary Ablett Snr

[Pure_Ownage]

When almost 40, a 20 year old groupie was killed by hard drugs he supplied her on a massive bender one-on-one in his private hotel room.

He also assaulted his ex-wife’s new partner.

This is serious stuff. The threshold for “legend” is a lot higher than for that for “not in prison”.

I don't disagree about GAS specifically but to be fair the afl gets criticised because they don't apply that as a rule 100 % of the time when it comes to honours for past players. If they did then they wouldn't be criticised but they pick and choose based on where the media narrative is going and that's why people lambast them.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

There has to be SOME point at which you draw that line. I mean, surely no matter how good a player was, if he murdered someone, he's not getting in.

I get that but when you have guys like Leigh Matthews having respected industry positions (Neville Bruns anyone) the afl loses a lot of credibility on this stuff.

You really should have the nominations (hall of fame) controlled by an external body that has no link to afl hq so there's no bias in regards to the media and off field issues that way it would be more consistent.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

When almost 40, a 20 year old groupie was killed by hard drugs he supplied her on a massive bender one-on-one in his private hotel room.

He also assaulted his ex-wife’s new partner.

This is serious stuff. The threshold for “legend” is a lot higher than for that for “not in prison”.

I'm going to make one last post before i go to England. You're a fool. I've said this before and nobody listened.

I knew the girl in question - RIP - she was on hard drugs well before she met snr.

STOP LISTENING TO CRAP MEDIA.

 

[iameviljez]

I'm going to make one last post before i go to England. You're a fool. I've said this before and nobody listened.

I knew the girl in question - RIP - she was on hard drugs well before she met snr.

STOP LISTENING TO CRAP MEDIA.

Yeah, I'd believe that she was on hard drugs before. But I don't think that changes much. She's still a footy groupie half his age on a four-day bender who died in his hotel room from drugs he supplied.

Also, it's kind of hard to remember what you have said before per se - because you've changed your username. (Though I'll forgive you if you originally picked, say, Murdoch 21).

 

[iameviljez]

I get that but when you have guys like Leigh Matthews having respected industry positions (Neville Bruns anyone) the afl loses a lot of credibility on this stuff.

I don't think that what Lethal did was nearly as bad as GAS' rap sheet. GAS is lucky in particular that the assault on his ex-wife's partner happened in the early 90s before we took that kind of behaviour seriously - nowadays, you'd be talking year-long bans, if not life.

Don't get me wrong, what Matthews did was bad - but it was in the ballpark of, say, Denis Banks on David Rhys-Jones the year after (with the exception that Rhys-Jones more than earned a whack).

Agree with you completely that the AFL flops in the wind when it comes to its reputation.

 

[My Tilly]

I don't think that what Lethal did was nearly as bad as GAS' rap sheet. GAS is lucky in particular that the assault on his ex-wife's partner happened in the early 90s before we took that kind of behaviour seriously - nowadays, you'd be talking year-long bans, if not life.

Don't get me wrong, what Matthews did was bad - but it was in the ballpark of, say, Denis Banks on David Rhys-Jones the year after (with the exception that Rhys-Jones more than earned a whack).

Ablett caught the bloke fooling around with his girl and he did what 99% of males would do.

What never gets mentioned is all the years of work he has done for charities and communities.

 

[iameviljez]

Ablett caught the bloke fooling around with his girl and he did what 99% of males would do.

No, he caught his ex-wife - with whom he was not only separated, but estranged - with her partner, and punched his head in.

Married people need to be separated for at least 12 months before they can get a divorce. That doesn't mean they are still a couple. She had left him; there wasn't cheating.

 

[My Tilly]

No, he caught his ex-wife - with whom he was not only separated, but estranged - with her partner, and punched his head in.

Married people need to be separated for at least 12 months before they can get a divorce. That doesn't mean they are still a couple. She had left him; there wasn't cheating.

Where did you get that from?

 

[iameviljez]

Where did you get that from?

https://www.theage.com.au/national/...urt-over-mortgage-default-20120502-1xysj.html

Is one source.

That said, nowhere says that the man was his ex wife’s new partner, perhaps my memory invented that

 

[TheEscapeClub]

Saw him play from 93 onwards. Otherwise, yeah, it’s video.

That said, his Geelong career started 40 years ago this year. On an internet forum - that typically will skew young - most users won’t have seen him play live at all.

That's where you're coming up short.

imo, Snr was much better when he was younger, lighter and getting around the ground more.

He was breathtaking. He's the only player I can think to use that adjective for.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

I think it's a different eras thing. Ablett junior benefited enormously from vastly more professional training, club culture, coaching, everything. Ablett senior didn't have any of that, he was still driving trucks for Ron Hovey as late as 1989.

Mild peeve of mine (not directed at you), I still think Ablett senior was way, WAY more consistent than people give credit for. Don't believe me? I wouldn't either. Just look at the following:

• 1984 - 33 goals from a wing, won his only Best and Fairest. From only 15 games played.
• 1985 - 82 goals from a half forward flank. Included hauls of 9, 8 and 6 (twice).
• 1986 - 65 goals from 15 games. Included hauls of 8, 7, and 6 (three times).
• 1987 - 53 goals from 17 games. If ever he had a "down" year this was it. More than passable for anyone else though.
• 1988 - 82 goals from 21 games. Included hauls of 11, 10,7, and 6 (twice).
• 1989 - 89 goals from 23 games. Included hauls of 14, 9, 8, 7 (twice), and 6.
• 1990 - 75 goals from 17 games. Included hauls of 12, 10, 8, 7, and 6.
• 1991 - 28 goals from 14 games on the back of zero pre-season.
• 1992 - 72 goals from 21 games. Included hauls of 9 and 6.
• 1993 - 124 goals from 17 games. Included hauls of 14, 12, 11, 10 (twice), 8 (twice), and 7 (three times).
• 1994 - 129 goals from 25 games. Included hauls of 14, 10, 7 (four times), and 6 (four times).
• 1995 - 122 goals from 22 games. Included hauls of 9, 8 (twice), 7 (four times), and 6 (five times).
• 1996 - 69 goals from 17 games. Included hauls of 9 (twice), 7, and 6 (three times).

That level of consistency is supernatural.

Yep, I've put these numbers up in another thread, him being inconsistent for me is a myth.

 

[Gazza Greatness]

Yep, I've put these numbers up in another thread, him being inconsistent for me is a myth.

The thing is TEC: awesome players like Ablett Snr, Lockett and Dunstall set the bar so high that the expectations of them were far, far, greater than 95% of other players.

On a side note, it was calculated that during Gary Ablett Snr prime years as a player, he would get an additional 5,000 extra NEUTRAL spectators 'per game' played at the MCG, that's how much of an exhilarating and magical footballer he was to see play. Greg Williams who was a phenomenal player in his own right and played two full seasons with Gary in 1984/5, has said on many occasions that Gary Ablett Snr is easily the best footballer he has seen or played with and has even gone further by saying on one occasion that if anyone thinks otherwise then they don't know what they're talking about, such is his strong opinion of how good a footballer Gary Ablett Snr really was.

 

[My Tilly]

I wish the club kept Williams. Probably one of the great blunders of all time. I know he was demanding more money but just imagine had he remained here.

I heard we may not have been able to bring in Bairstow but a centreline of Hocking, Couch & Williams would have been one of the best all-time.

 

[Gazza Greatness]

I wish the club kept Williams. Probably one of the great blunders of all time. I know he was demanding more money but just imagine had he remained here.

I heard we may not have been able to bring in Bairstow but a centreline of Hocking, Couch & Williams would have been one of the best all-time.

For memory Mr Tilly: Greg Williams was only asking for an extra 50k then 45k per season at the time and I think the Swans offer was 100k more than his previous Geelong contract, so Greg was prepared to stay at Geelong for a lot less money. But the Geelong hierarchy unfortunately said no which made our champion player and club captain Michael Turner at the time livid that we didn't pay Greg the extra 50k because he had an enormous opinion of Greg as a player and thought that he was worth every cent and no doubt what you say about being one of the great blunders of all time is a fairly correct assessment.

 

[iameviljez]

For memory Mr Tilly: Greg Williams was only asking for an extra 50k per season at the time and I think the Swans offer was 200k more than his previous Geelong contract, so Greg was prepared to stay at Geelong for a lot less money. But the Geelong hierarchy unfortunately said no which made our champion player and club captain Michael Turner at the time livid that we didn't pay Greg the extra 50k because he had an enormous opinion of Greg as a player and thought that he was worth every cent and no doubt what you say about being one of the great blunders of all time is a fairly correct assessment.

He asked for 50, we went up to 45, Sydney offered 100.

Hindsight is cruel, but don’t forget that the club was absolutely penniless at the time - technically, insolvent.