Gary Ablett Jr.
Gary Ablett Jr. (born 14 May 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). The eldest son of Australian Football Hall of Fame member and former Hawthorn and Geelong player Gary Ablett Sr., Ablett was drafted to Geelong under the father–son rule in the 2001 national draft and has since become recognised as one of the all-time great midfielders. Ablett is a dual premiership player, dual Brownlow Medallist, five-time Leigh Matthews Trophy winner, three-time AFLCA champion player of the year award winner and eight-time All-Australian.
Gary Ablett Jr. | |||
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Ablett playing for Geelong in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | Gary Ablett Jr. | ||
Nickname(s) | Gaz, The Little Master | ||
Date of birth | 14 May 1984 | ||
Place of birth | Moriac, Victoria | ||
Original team(s) | Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup) | ||
Draft | No. 40 (F/S), 2001 national draft | ||
Debut | Round 1, 2002, Geelong vs. Essendon, at the MCG | ||
Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder / forward | ||
Playing career | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2002–2010 | Geelong | 192 (262) | |
2011–2017 | Gold Coast | 110 (124) | |
2018–2020 | Geelong | 55 (59) | |
Total | 357 (445) | ||
Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
During his first stint at Geelong, Ablett won two premierships, two Carji Greeves Medals, a Geelong leading goalkicker award and the 2009 Brownlow Medal. He is also a life member of the club and has been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame. At Gold Coast, Ablett was the club's inaugural captain, holding the role for the club's first six seasons, and won four Gold Coast Suns Club Champion awards (including the first three in the club's history), two Gold Coast leading goalkicker awards and the 2013 Brownlow Medal, the first Brownlow Medal in the club's history. Between 2014 and 2018, Ablett suffered a number of setbacks through injury; despite this, Ablett played 357 games, the thirteenth-most in VFL/AFL history at the time.