It breaks my heart

[Farmer2Goggin]

I must admit I'm happy to see Gaz playing well. I thought it was rubbish when people were saying he won't play well without 'protection'. Sure it helps, but they only protected him a bit cos he was so damn brilliant with the footy!

The thing that Ablett will regret about the GC is losing. He hates it. Remember 2004-06, Gaz cracking the jimmy grits out on the ground. Sure he was younger but I expect we will see it again.

This post is spot on.
Very disappointed in him and the whole leaving charade but never doubted his genius on the field. The reality is that if AFL was 5 a side he would be Jordanesque in his influence on the game , of this I have no doubt.
Totally agree that the GC will be somewhat hard going for him because he can count the $'s but in the end it is winning that floats his boat - the pressure will mount and the move will become more hollow as time goes on.
As much as people talk them up in 2-3 years time there is also an argument that a high % of these draftees won't make it - why should GC be any different to the experience of other Clubs in that a large amount of high draft picks don't cut the mustard ?
Nothing is guaranteed in this game.........

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

I think the intention of this thread was simply to wish Gaj all the best for whatever lies ahead at the Gold Coast and then move on.

People can choose to enjoy or not enjoy watching him play from hear or in as it really isn't a matter of the Geelong Football Club anymore. For the record, i am and will continue to be a great admirer of the little master.

However, perhaps we should close this thread?

 

[Cataholic]

On the flip side, how lucky are we that a unique set of circumstances 'forced' the departure of two individuals from our midst who have been exposed as insincere, fraudulent members of the GFC?

Imagine the damage they would've caused if fate had dictated that they stayed with us for another year??

We dodged a bullet methinks.

 

[Grizzly_82]

For the record, i am and will continue to be a great admirer of the little master.

However, perhaps we should close this thread?

enjoy your hero worshipping, I'll continue to support the club not an individual that lied to his fans and club.

People are entitled to feel and react in what ever way they feel like.

 

[Hinkley29]

I Agree with this, everything I've heard in relation to G. Ablett has something to do with him hating to lose. That's why he got so upset to lose the Brownlow, it was never him putting personal accolades above the team, he just hates losing anything.

I don't buy this.

He had to know that GC were going to be dreadful this year. He had to know that they were going to lose almost every game this year.

He can't despise losing too badly. After all, he rejected winning and chose losing.

 

[Vdubs]

Name one. Name an individual midfielder in today's game, that has even kept a team in the hunt against top opposition, let alone changed the game.

Bartel, Judd, Ablett, Hodge, B Harvey etc



This is ridiculous. Are you really serious?

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Bartel, Judd, Ablett, Hodge, B Harvey etc



This is ridiculous. Are you really serious?

considering that GC kicked their biggest score this week and still got completely belted with Ablett out, there's some merit to the idea that one player doesn't change the outcome if the other 21 are no good. His lack of match fitness hasn't stopped him from getting his 30+ disposals, but the lack of quality/experience around him means that he's a wasted investment for at least 2 seasons IMO.

 

[Turbocat]

considering that GC kicked their biggest score this week and still got completely belted with Ablett out, there's some merit to the idea that one player doesn't change the outcome if the other 21 are no good. His lack of match fitness hasn't stopped him from getting his 30+ disposals, but the lack of quality/experience around him means that he's a wasted investment for at least 2 seasons IMO.

There is no doubt , imo , that a game that's on the line an individual can do something outstanding to influence a game but also they can do the minor, subtle things that can make all the difference. When a team is so far away from the mark , the little subtle things get lost. Its like a guy of 18 having a birdie on one hole but then backing it up with double and triple bogies on all the other holes. The birdie gets lost in the muck.

Even last years Prelim , we were so far off it , Abletts game was meaningless.

From my observations of GC they would have been so much better of having two or three experienced backmen to surround the quality kids they have. Imagine KMH in our side I'd say he would look a lot better just because of the quality around him , but also because he would be told in no uncertain terms what to and what not to do. Imagine having Bock , with an Enright and a Lake to blend in with and school the kids. Far better imo.

The last two years have shown you can get mature types at a jot of the cost to help out in the middle , Barlow, Curnow for eg.. They took Harris and he looks a good get for them while the Swallows and Bennel's get 50 plus games into them.

Unfortunately for them I don't think they had a great choice in what OOC players they grabbed , they went for who was interested. And this is also the problem with GA.

Im sure they knew he was not Tom Harley material as captain but the took what they could. I wonder if they had 2 years like GWS , whether they would have gone so hard at such an individual as GA. But they didn't , so they threw the kitchen sink at it got even him even if it was going to be a waste short term. They needed to get someone and they did.

The one thing he may now be learning is how much changes when you become a dollar man , how quickly the media can go hard at you , how much Geelong's performance could cover for his personal choice's. The heat is on and I doubt he is enjoying it.

 

[Cataholic]

Well, he wanted a challenge, and he's got one.

He's racing in the F1 driving a VW Beetle.

 

[bobbycatsfanme]

Well, he wanted a challenge, and he's got one.

He's racing in the F1 driving a VW Beetle.

and I think it's just had a crash......luckily the driver may only have suffered groin soreness but longterm sustainability now in question

 

[RegHickeyStand]

Bartel, Judd, Ablett, Hodge, B Harvey etc



This is ridiculous. Are you really serious?

The question now is, are you serious?

I have already mentioned Judd at his best as being an exception. Maybe. Jimmy Bartel has stopped players and influenced the game in that way. But at his game changing best it is more as a small forward. IMO.

Hodge as a midfielder keeping his team in the hunt against top opposition? As a midfielder? Are you kidding.

A tactical blunder by Thompson made an inform Hodge a big contributor in the backline in the 2008 GF. But he was in the backline then. Name a game as a midfielder where Hodge kept Hawthorn in it against a top team.

Have North beaten a top side in an important match? B Harvey: great little player. But a matchwinner? no.

And as for Ablett. Yeah he really kept us in the hunt against Collingwood in the Prelim with his 100 possessions in the first half, didn't he...lol

I thought the GC played better without him this week. At the very least, no different.

 

[AM]

One on the downsides of having a super star in a team is the danger of some players getting into the habit of looking to him to provide the impetus to get the team across the line in tight games.

Super stars have it within them to lift when and where it counts and win games by their individual effort, as we saw from Franklin over the weekend. However, it has the potential to be counterproductive if you have a few in your team who drop off a fraction waiting for the super star to perform his magic every time your team gets into a tight situation.

I reckon that's one area where we've improved this year. Every player knows that a concerted effort from each of the 22 is required from first to final siren if we are to be successful.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

...and basically, Franklin is a KPP, and its a little unfair to say an individual midfielder can influence a game like Franklin can.

 

[AM]

...and basically, Franklin is a KPP, and its a little unfair to say an individual midfielder can influence a game like Franklin can.

Think you'll find Buddy is no longer a roaming forward these days. He pops-up on the wing, in the mid-field and down back.

In any event, genuine super stars have the capacity to set-up victories no matter where they play.

Scarlett has done it for us in his heyday from full back. And Judd and Swan have done it many times from the midfield.

 

[ZosoCat]

while it's hard for me that gary isn't at the cats we have seen his true colors... he is all about the money.. he got what he wanted (2 flags) and the big money offer was enough for him.. in saying this i loved gary as a cat and WAS my fav player...

i think the current saga of him spending too much time in melbourne to me shows that he hasn't got 100% invested into the suns and his heart is still in victoria (or geelong). If our captain was doing this after games staying in other cities missing training etc (and carrying injury) than I would be a little concerned.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

while it's hard for me that gary isn't at the cats we have seen his true colors... he is all about the money.. he got what he wanted (2 flags) and the big money offer was enough for him.. in saying this i loved gary as a cat and WAS my fav player...

i think the current saga of him spending too much time in melbourne to me shows that he hasn't got 100% invested into the suns and his heart is still in victoria (or geelong). If our captain was doing this after games staying in other cities missing training etc (and carrying injury) than I would be a little concerned.

I haven't seen anything to indicate his heart is in Geelong. To be blunt it looks like his heart isn't even in football, and now that he's out of the culture of striving to achieve excellence that Geelong carries, he has reverted back to a pre-2007 mindset of "Gary first, team second" that earned him the original spray that got his finger out of his dot. McKenna's deflection of the (spot on) Crawford comments indicates that GC have not as yet implemented any Leading Teams-style leadership plan, and as a result Gary is slowly becoming distracted by the glitz, the social invitations, Lauren and her Melbourne connections etc.

A few weeks ago I saw Gary and his entourage on Chapel St. at one of the many bars quite late at night, and it sent me waaay back to the late 90's when I would see Gary Sr. at bars only 50-100 metres away, sweating, pupils like dinner plates, chewing frantically. Gary Jr. wasn't in that state - this time, but little by little he's being drawn closer to the culture that brought his dad undone. Glad that this time he won't be a Geelong player the first time someone refers to him as "Gary Tablet".

 

[RegHickeyStand]

I know what you mean Ammo Man. Its more of how the whole team play through that individual player that makes them a KPP. Even if they roam about, also. Even so, Franklin, when he is down forward and kicking those important goals in tight games, I would regard him as a key forward then. lol

Last year Bomber thought we could get more out of Ablett in the forward line. I remember once it didn't come off. But a few times he had an impact there. No better than Chappy, but still, that ain't bad.

 

[RegHickeyStand]

LifeSpan-Void, I hope that doesn't come to pass. He seems like a nice young fella, and had good friends at Geelong who were loyal to him. Which says a lot. At his best I saw him really look after Duncan Mitchell in his first game. Wish him all the best and a person

As a footballer I hate his guts. He is a traitor. Nothing but praise for his Geelong days after his retirement, though. lol

 

[Gameova_]

cats supporters need to forget about ablett & thompson they with the help of the team got u guys 2 flags time for u guys to move on just like they did.... geelong still have unfinished business this season many people are still tipping them to topple collingwood and win the flag such as myself

Im sure cats fans now have forgotten about thompson and ablett for good... and of course bumping for braging

 

[bobbycatsfanme]

Jimmy = more valuable player than jnr
always has and always will.
He along with Johnson are the two blokes that will hurt the most when they retire.

 

[Partridge]

Im sure cats fans now have forgotten about thompson and ablett for good... and of course bumping for braging

Nope. Always reserve a special amount of hatred for either of them. I'm still sorry Judas didn't play against us when they got destroyed by 150 points. That was a mildly satisfying day.

They're shit, and I hope he enjoyed watching us win a flag in September.

 

[Selective Retention]

I'd love it if we won the flag this year, and played the Gold Coast in our first game at Skilled next year. Let the Suns run out for their warm-up and unfurl the flag in front of Gaz.

Make it happen AFL

Although the odds of Ablett actually playing would be slim.

 

[you pick one]

Im sure cats fans now have forgotten about thompson and ablett for good... and of course bumping for braging

Nope.Always reserve a special amount of appreciation for their efforts and endeavor in helping deliver what I never thought I'd live to see.

Thompson in the end was coaching like a man that had no more to give.
And Gaz,just to much money to knock back, the AFL got what they wanted.
Nothing new to see here move on.

 

[JUBJUB]

Im sure cats fans now have forgotten about thompson and ablett for good... and of course bumping for braging

Who and who ?

 

[Rockford]

They're shit, and I hope he enjoyed watching us win a flag in September.

October