Analysis The Ablett Effect

[rye]

Not really. The Suns are a northern club based in an expansion market - that's undeniable. It's not a question of how far north, but rather if you are north. Granted the Suns could/should be more successful on the field and that would help, but Brisbane aren't making the same kind of inroads into grassroots male footy that the Suns are. The two rugby codes have a much stronger grip on the Brisbane market than they do on the Gold Coast. For all the success the Lions have had in recent years, their academy hasn't produced a top 10 pick to date. Eric Hipwood (pick 14, 2015) and Jaspa Fletcher (pick 12, 2022) are the only first round picks their academy has produced so far and even then, Hipwood isn't from Brisbane (grew up on the Sunshine Coast) and Fletcher was a father-son pick so that's not a great indication of market penetration either.

why are you using this as the basis for the success of either clubs academy program?

prior to last years draft gold coast would have had bowes who was a cairns local and thats it fit this criteria. if you want to start inserting context around brisbane's academy picks and them showing a lack of 'market penetration' how about the fact that walter moved from WA and came from a family that encouraged football over rugby?

for laughs, here is a way to look at it that uncritically favours brisbane's academy program - B22 players in 2023 who were academy selections

Brisbane (5) - Hipwood, Fletcher, Coleman, Payne, Andrews
Gold Coast (1) - Rosas

or how about this - academy products of each club currently AFLM listed. excluding those like weller and ryan who moved to the area later and were already established juniors

Brisbane (14) - Hipwood, Fletcher, Coleman, Payne, Andrews, Keays, Reville, Michael, Wagner, Chol, Cumberland, Snell, Brain, Fullarton
Gold Coast (15) - Walter, Rogers, Read, Graham, Davies, Budarick, Graham, Jeffrey, Johnstone, Oea, Rosas, Uwland, Bowes, Preuss, Scott

if you exclude northern territory zone / png academy picks, gold coast's academy talent actually produced out of queensland drops behind brisbane's to 11 AFLM listed players. exclude players from cairns and focus on the gold coast region proper and it drops to 9.


nearly all the conclusions you reach in your post are based on flimsy pretenses trying to push a rather silly agenda.

 

[GC2015]

Anyway, the threads not about whether Ablett was good for the Suns or not, it's about whether or not young local footballers were inspired by him and by the sounds of it they were

Quote from Levi Ashcroft in yesterday's Herald Sun:

The Suns’ biggest marquee signing for their inaugural AFL season in 2011 was Gary Ablett Jr, who soon became a favourite for a young Levi.

“He was my idol when I was younger,” Levi said of Ablett.

“I was always around him and his excellence. I’ve modelled my game off him since I was a little boy running around at the Suns.”

“He just did it all.”

 

[Freomaniac]

At Geelong where you had several clear leaders ahead in the pecking order.

Who should have got the gig at GC if not Ablett?

Lets Look at the experienced players from other clubs Gold Coast picked up besides Gary Ablett Snr....

Jared Brennan
Michael Rischtelli
Dainel Harris
Jarrod Harbrow
Josh Fraser
Nathan Krakeour
Campbell Brown
Sam Illes
Danny Stanley
Joel Tippett
Nathan Ablett

Not a great choice of Players. But knowing how it all panned out. I say either Jarrod Harbrow or Michael Rischitelli.