Gary Ablett Biography

It is revealed that Gary Ablett broke his shoulder in the chaotic opening minutes of the 2020 Grand Final, yet played through the pain in what was to be his final AFL game.

Surgeons will look at Ablett's shoulder scans and consult with the champion about the next steps of his recovery. He is expected to have a procedure when he returns to Melbourne.

Gary Ablett retires after 357 games, playing his final game in Geelong's Grand Final loss to Richmond.

Just three minutes after Richmond received its 2020 premiership cup, Tigers players lined opposite their Geelong counterparts to form a guard of honour to farewell Gary Ablett.

Cats coach Chris Scott says the club will allow Gary Ablett to spend as much time as he wants with his family, even if it means staying out of the side for the rest of the 2020 season.

Ablett and wife Jordan have endured a tough period in their personal lives, with the passing of Jordan's mother recently following on from last month's news their son Levi had been diagnosed with a rare and degenerative disease.

"We love them and will support them as much as possible. If that meant that he wasn't going to play football this year then so be it," Scott said.

Gary Ablett will miss Geelong's next two games after returning home to Victoria to be with his wife Jordan and son Levi, who is battling a rare degenerative condition.

On the day of his 350-game milestone, Gary Ablett opens up on medical issues affecting son Levi and his mother-in-law.

Matt Rowell will undergo scans to determine the extent of a shoulder dislocation suffered against Geelong.

Cat Gary Ablett, who endured serious shoulder injuries in the latter stages of his career at Gold Coast before returning to the Cats, said he spoke to the Rowell after Geelong's 37-point win.

"I said to him once he gets the results if he wants to give me a call and talk through things I can let him know what worked for me and what didn't," Ablett said.

Gary Ablett's manager, Liam Pickering, says the 35-year-old will be nursed on the way to one last September and is expected to play about 18 matches during the 2020 home and away season.

Dayne Beams is auctioning his 2010 premiership medal to raise money in aid of the Australian bushfire appeal.

He joins several players and clubs across the competition pledging their commitment to the cause.

Essendon captain Dyson Heppell will shave his trademark dreadlocks in a bid to help raise over $50,000.

Geelong great Gary Ablett is auctioning off a signed jumper by him and his father.

Brisbane's Mitch Robinson teamed up with his brother Leigh to raise over $15,000 by hosting a 24-hour online gaming stream last weekend.

Gary Ablett decides to play on for another season in 2020 and declares that it will be his last.

"I believe I can still meet and, to an extent, exceed my own expectations, and it is for that reason why I have agreed to terms with Geelong and penned a new deal to extend my career for a 19th season," Ablett wrote on his Exclusive Insight website.

"I have no doubt in my mind that as a team we're capable of winning the premiership next year, which is why I've decided to go around again.

"I'll be putting in a lot of hard work during the off-season to give myself the best opportunity to play my role well and perform at the level that I know that I can.

"But this is it. Next season … will be my last in the game."

Geelong coach Chris Scott says Gary Ablett must come to grips with whether he remains motivated to play at the highest level as a call looms on his AFL future.

The 35-year-old has yet to publicly declare his intentions after a campaign in which he started strongly but his form dipped towards the end.

"If he decides, or even if he's not sure, that he can do it, if he doesn't quite have the belief that he can help us win a premiership next year, he should retire," Scott told Fox Footy.

"Now if he thinks he can do it, then we've got a bit to talk about and I look forward to that. I hope it's that way."

The charmed run of Geelong champion Gary Ablett at the Match Review comes to an abrupt end after he was offered a one-match ban for striking Gold Coast midfielder Anthony Miles.

Ablett was handed a reprieve at the AFL Tribunal for elbowing Essendon's Dylan Shiel in the head three weeks ago, having initially been offered a one-game suspension, before walking away unscathed a fortnight ago for a similar incident with North Melbourne's Sam Wright.

It will be the first time Ablett has been suspended throughout his illustrious 331-game career.

Geelong coach Chris Scott says Gary Ablett isn't happy with criticism of his recent on-field aggression.

Ablett avoided sanction for his high body 'check' on North Melbourne's Sam Wright last week, just days after he was cleared to play by the AFL Tribunal for a similar incident on Essendon's Dylan Shiel.

"He takes offence to people suggesting that all of a sudden after 330-odd games, he's decided. 'I'm just going to go around throwing my arms towards players' heads and get away with it'," Scott said.

"I think genuinely he feels, if now all of a sudden people think he's a bit of a sniper, he'd be uncomfortable with that.

"He doesn't like that reputation, he thinks he's worked really hard to avoid that sort of reputation. And I don't see anything in the last two weeks that should change that."

Gary Ablett's impeccable Match Review record remains, with his one-match striking suspension downgraded by the AFL Tribunal from 'intentional' to 'careless' conduct.

His penalty was ultimately reduced to a $2000 fine, though Ablett had attempted to argue that there should be no financial penalty whatsoever due to his exemplary record.

Gary Ablett will challenge the first suspension of his illustrious career, after being offered him a one-match ban for his clumsy forearm to the head of Dylan Shiel.

Hawthorn supporters boo Gary Ablett throughout the round five match between the Hawks and the Cats a week after Gary Ablett had liked, and then disliked, a controversial social media post about religious beliefs by Australian rugby union star Israel Folau.

"I thought Gary handled it really well, he played exceptionally well, and post-match, the way he and the club handled it was very professional," AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking said.

Gary Ablett has provided an explanation as to why he "liked" Israel Folau's Instagram post that contained homophobic slurs.

Folau's post also made reference to his allegiance to Christianity and Ablett, who is a deeply religious Christian, eventually unliked the post.

"I want to make it clear that I love ALL people regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality," Ablett explained on Instagram.

"I have always admired how strong Izzy is in his faith, it is not easy to share faith in the public sphere, and this is why I initially 'liked' his post."

Gary Ablett and Matthew Kennedy are caught up in controversy after hitting the 'like' button on an Instagram post by rugby star Israel Folau that contained homophobic connotations.

Rugby Australia deemed Folau's post to be egregious enough to warrant termination of his multimillion-dollar contract for breaching its social media protocol.

Folau's post also made reference to his allegiance to Christianity and it is understood that both Ablett and Kennedy are deeply religious.

Geelong coach Chris Scott tempers expectations of Gary Ablett in 2019.

"It's very unlikely he's going to play every game for us and he's going to be a little bit more of a role player for us rather than someone we build our whole game plan around," Scott said.

"I don't think we should be rating Geelong's chances on how well Gary can play as an individual."

Gary Ablett says Cats coach has designated a role up forward as his main position to play in for the 2019 season.

"We just spoke through where he thought and where I thought I was the best fit for the team and how can I help the team win games, and we decided that was going to be down forward," Ablett said.

"We didn't really talk about prolonging my career; it was more about where I can have the biggest influence for the team."

Gary Ablett and his wife Jordan have had a baby boy. Ablett wrote a heartfelt message on his Instagram page detailing his love for the birth of his yet to be named son.

"Family - where life begins and love never ends. Our beautiful baby boy is finally here," Ablett posted.

Gary Ablett expresses his dismay at missing a shot at goal late in the match against Richmond.

On the run and closing in on 35 metres, Ablett failed to take the opportunity to put Geelong in front and steal the unlikeliest of victories with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

"I would usually kick that more often than not," Ablett said.

"You've got a couple of seconds to make a decision and if I had my time again I would've kicked it exactly the same. It just came off the side of the boot."

Gary Ablett and wife Jordan revealing they are expecting their first baby.

"We're both excited to announce that we are expecting our first child. It's hard to put into words just how happy we are," Gary and Jordan said on social media.

"We've known this for a few months now but decided that we wanted to keep it between just the two of us and our families for as long as we could."

Gary Ablett is best on ground with 37 disposals and 3 goals in his return to Metricon Stadium as a Cat.

Scans confirm a hamstring injury for Gary Ablett who will be sidelined for a few weeks.

"It is disappointing to miss playing the next few games with the team, but it is a long season and we are all positive that this will be a minor setback," Ablett said.

Gary Ablett's homecoming at GMHBA Stadium will be delayed after the Geelong superstar suffered a hamstring injury in the final quarter of the Cats' loss to West Coast in Perth.

Geelong coach Chris Scott has called on Cats fans to witness the trio of Patrick Dangerfield, Gary Ablett and Joel Selwood play together for the first time.

"It's an occasion that I imagine they wouldn't want to miss being there live to see Ablett, Selwood and Dangerfield play for the first time," Scott said.

"There is some excitement that is generated by these historic moments.

"We should seize the moment because there's no guarantee that it's going to last for a long time, those guys are in the backend of their careers."

Gary Ablett racks up 39 touches in his first game since returning as a Cat and says his form will only get better.

"I was a little bit (nervous) when I was warming up, but I knew that would go pretty quickly when I got out there," Ablett said post-game.

"It took me a little bit to get in the game, I thought I was a bit rusty early but I'll be better for the run and look forward to next week."

A record nine players earned more than $1 million in 2017 as the rich got richer under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Lance Franklin is understood to have been one of the competition's highest-paid players last season, with Tom Boyd, Scott Pendlebury, Nathan Fyfe and then Gold Coast teammates Gary Ablett and Tom Lynch widely believed within industry circles to have also earned seven-figure salaries.

It is likely some of 2017's millionaires are on contracts wherein their average yearly salary is less than $1 million, but their deals were front- or back-ended last season to top seven figures. Sources identified Dayne Beams and Michael Hurley as players in this category.

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and teammate Dion Prestia would also have been among the AFL's top earners in 2017.

Patrick Dangerfield says it's a dream come true to be on the same team as Gary Ablett.

"He's just a freak of nature and I must admit I'm a bit like a little schoolboy that's excited to play with a childhood hero, and the majority of our list is in the same boat," Dangerfield said.

Cats coach Chris Scott says Gary Ablett will play predominantly in the midfield in 2018.

"He didn't come to us and say, 'I think I'm almost cooked here, can you hide me in a forward pocket for a couple of years and I'll snag you 30 goals a year,'" Scott said.

"He has an aspiration to help the team as much as possible and we all believe that's in the midfield first."

Gary Ablett reveals he had considered quitting AFL football as many as six times during his career.

"I reckon I considered (retirement) five or six times through my career," Ablett told RSN radio.

"It is a tough game and I'm going into my 17th pre-season now.

"Look, whether I seriously considered it or not, there definitely has been times where you question why you're still doing it, and obviously I had a few serious injuries over the last couple of years with two shoulder reconstructions."

Being back at Geelong, however, has alleviated any apprehensions he has had about continuing to play.

"Just being back at the football club where it all started for me. It's a great football club, they do things very, very well here," Ablett said.

Gary Ablett says he is looking forward to contending for a finals spot after seven barren years at Gold Coast.

"It has been a different experience, there's no doubt about that. I've missed finals football. I'm a very competitive person and I play to win, so it has been hard not being able to experience that," he said.

At 33 years of age, Ablett says he has no plans to retire at the end of his current contract with the Cats in 2019.

"The body's still feeling really great. I feel I've still got some good years left in the midfield and then I may drift forward after that, but who knows? It's one of those things," Ablett said.

"I put a lot of time into my football, a lot of time into my preparation and my recovery. I'll continue to do that and it'll be a decision I make after the next two years."

Gary Ablett has withdrawn from the Australian squad to face Ireland in the 2018 International Rules Series for personal reasons.

Geelong chief executive Brian Cook believes Gary Ablett's return could be a boon for the club both on and off the field.

"My real guess is probably an extra 5000 members. But, importantly, it will be an extra two goals, I reckon," Cook said.

"The driver of Gary coming back is the fact he's played really good footy over the last five years, and won the best and fairest last year. It's not his age.

"The fact is if he's playing good footy; he has a chance to make an impact and therefore do the things we want to do as a club."

Gary Ablett will return to Geelong after a trade was settled with Gold Coast.

Geelong gave up No.19 and a second-round selection in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft in exchange for Ablett, No.24 and Gold Coast's 2018 fourth-round selection.

"It was good that Gary ended up at Geelong. It was no certainty all the way through the Trade Period but in the end, the Gold Coast did what they said they would do," Geelong list manager Stephen Wells said.

"We've given up a bit to do that in next year's draft and also this year's draft, but it's a great story, Gary coming back to Geelong, particularly having won a best and fairest this year and still having plenty of good footy ahead of him."

Gary Ablett writes an emotional tribute to his late sister while thanking Gold Coast and Geelong for letting him finish his career where it began.

"It saddens me deeply to have to say goodbye to my beautiful sister who will always be a part of our family," he wrote.

"This week has been an emotional rollercoaster, however, hearing that I will be returning home has brought both myself and my family some joy during what has been a difficult and painful time."

Gary Ablett declares he has no regrets about his move to the Suns but cited being closer to family as his reason for seeking a move back to Geelong.

"Now married and looking to start a family, my priorities have shifted. I need to be around my family back home, who I have spent the last seven years doing long distance with," Ablett said.

"I am at a stage in my career where I need to get the balance right between footy and life outside of football, and the recent break period has allowed me the time that I needed to put certain things in place."

Gold Coast confirm that Gary Ablett has again requested a trade to Geelong after seven seasons and 110 games with the Suns.

"Gary Ablett today informed the club of his desire to be traded to Geelong during next month's exchange period," Suns CEO Mark Evans said.

"We indicated to Gary and his manager Liam Pickering that there are conditions that will need to be met for the Gold Coast if this is to be achieved.

"Scott Clayton will be available to meet with Liam and Geelong to ensure these conditions are met."

Only five best and fairest winners in AFL history played a lower percentage of games in a season before winning their club award than Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett did in 2017.

Ablett locked in his sixth best and fairest award with 126 votes despite playing just 14 of the 22 games (or 63 per cent).

Gary Ablett reveals that hamstring tendinitis restricted him from playing late in the 2017 season.

"I was struggling with some hamstring tendinitis, which a lot of people didn't know about," Ablett said.

"The club pretty much made the decision three weeks out that they thought it was best for me to pull the pin, but I did everything I possibly could because I really wanted to try and get up for the last couple of games.

"I know a lot of people have written other things, but I can tell you guys that's not true, that I was doing everything I possibly could to get out on the field."

Cats coach Chris Scott says it may be impossible for Gary Ablett to return to Geelong in 2018.

"If some of the obstacles that have been articulated are true then it's just impossible," Scott said.

"It's not a matter of wanting to do it or not - it's just impossible."

Gary Ablett wins his fourth Gold Coast best and fairest award but claims he still hasn't decided on his future.

Ablett is contracted to the Suns for 2018, but after requesting a trade to Geelong last off-season, is expected to do the same this time around.

"I've got a lot to think about over the next couple of weeks," Ablett said.

"The plan is just to get away from the pressures of football, go spend some time with family.

"I've been at the top level 16 years and I've got some other things going on in my life and I need to start prioritizing other things, so they're some of the things I need to talk through.

"That's something we'll work out in the next couple of weeks."

Daniel Menzel's manager, Adam Ramanauskas, says his client is keen to secure a longer-team deal after signing a series of one-year contracts.

"His one-year contracts have all been signed after the season. Would Daniel like a contract from Geelong in front of him now? Absolutely," Ramanauskas told RSN radio.

"He wants a longer-term contract, there's no doubt about that. But there's been no offer from Geelong."

Asked if Ablett and his possible return to Geelong was playing a part in the Cats' decision to delay contract negotiations with his client, Ramanauskas said: "probably".

Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans bristles at suggestions Gary Ablett has played his last game for the Suns.

"It's not his last game because he's contracted for 2018, so let's hope he keeps playing," Evans said.

"That's my first priority, not talking about farewells to players, but making sure they want to be here the following year."

When pressed further, Evans laughed at reporters, saying, "Stop it, stop it".

Gary Ablett says he has no regrets about moving to Gold Coast from Geelong.

"I won't lie, the money was part of my decision," Ablett said.

"My brother (Nathan) was living up here at the time, we've always been super close and I wanted to be closer to him and play football with him again.

"I don't regret the decision. It's helped me grow a lot as a person, as a footballer, and I feel like I've been able to take my game to another level.

"Whether I would have been able to do that at Geelong, I'm not sure."

Gary Ablett's 300-game milestone is on hold for at least a week due to a calf injury ruling.

"Really disappointing for Gary, his family and the footy club – waiting for his much anticipated 300th game," Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

"Gary hurt his calf in last weekend's game, he had been rehabbing it all week."

Gary Ablett will have the highest total of Brownlow votes of any player in their 300th game when he takes the field for the Suns against St Kilda this week.

Gold Coast CEO Mark Evans launches an impassioned defence of Gary Ablett and vows to do everything he can to ensure that Ablett stays at the club.

"I'm sick and tired of people digging into Gary and not paying enough respect to what he's done in his career," Evans said.

"At round two, we questioned Gary Ablett for a poor game, and he played poorly. (He) doesn't back away from that, but make the critique proper.

"After China, where he can't play the next week with a shoulder and decides not to after a fitness test, and we question his preparation and recovery, how about paying respect to a guy who's about to play his 300th game in a few weeks' time.

"Eight times All Australian, five best and fairests, critique him and critique him harshly if you need to, but keep it real."

Back-to-back shoulder knocks have taken their toll on Gold Coast superstar Gary Ablett, who will miss the Suns' trip to Alice Springs to face Melbourne.

"He did everything he could to get himself right to play against Port Adelaide in China. Unfortunately, he suffered another knock in the same area in that game," Gold Coast football manager Ashcroft said.

Gary Ablett makes the most of the Suns' bye following Gold Coast's match in Shanghai to visit the country's sights, including the Great Wall.

Not even boos from the North Melbourne fans could stop Gold Coast star Gary Ablett as he answered his critics with a stunning performance against the Roos.

Ablett was superb at Etihad Stadium, amassing 45 disposals (27 contested) and a career-high 18 clearances in the 13-point loss to North Melbourne.

"I thought he worked extremely hard. He was criticised in round two for work rate and defensive running and I thought he was terrific," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.

"Apart from his clearance work and winning the ball, his willingness and [ability] to lead from the front was great."

Gary Ablett says he's still a chance to play at Gold Coast in 2018.

"If we can work thorugh some of the things that are going on off-field - I don't know what that looks like and it's not something I want to open up about in this type of setting - but if we can work through that, I'm really enjoying myself up here," Ablett said.

"It's not something I want to think too long term, I just really want to focus on this year."

Jimmy Bartel says his premiership teammate Gary Ablett will retire from football if he doesn't get the chance to return to Geelong in 2018.

"Gary will be at Geelong, or he'll retire," Bartel declared on Channel Seven.

"No matter where you rank players in history, (in) everyone's top five there's Gary Ablett jnr."

Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade has leapt to the defence of Gary Ablett who has had his commitment questioned.

"He's a very caring individual. Certainly off field he's been terrific," Eade said.

"We've only played two games. People tend to be throwing barbs a bit after two games.

Gary Ablett says he is fully committed to Gold Coast, but understands the speculation surrounding his future.

"I kind of expected it (the speculation) leading into the season after everything that happened in the off-season, with me asking for a trade,” Ablett said.

"I think everyone knows my reasons why I had that conversation, but at the same time I’m fully committed to the Suns – and I told them that."

Gary Ablett has again refused to commit to playing out his current contract with the Suns, saying he could retire for personal reasons with a year left on his contract on The Footy Show.

"I've got some things going on in my life that I'm not going to elaborate on, but they are my number one priority at the moment," Ablett said.

"I said to the club (last year) that I'm super committed to this year ... I'm going to give it everything.

"But I don't know what 2018 holds for me. I will sit down with the club at the end of the year, we will talk through that and I will work out what the next step is for me."

Chris Scott has refused to fuel speculation that the Cats are open to recruiting their former champion Gary Ablett from the Gold Coast Suns at the end of the season.

Scott told reporters that questions about Ablett's future should be directed to the Gold Coast.

"It's a Gold Coast issue and a Gary Ablett issue. I'm not really in a position to comment on behalf of the Geelong Football Club, particularly given our list manager is in the US at the moment," Scott said.

Michael Barlow comes to the defence of Gary Ablett who was criticized in the media for his lacklustre 16-disposal effort during the Suns' 102-point loss to GWS.

"People are looking for a scapegoat, you really feel for Gary in that respect," Barlow said.

At a joint press conference with Barlow, Suns' co-captain Tom Lynch joined in on the Ablett defence.

"We all know Gary is a very competitive person, and to say he is disinterested is pretty disrespectful toward a champion like Gary," Lynch said.

Lance Franklin and Tom Boyd are widely believed to be among the competition's highest paid players.

Franklin was paid about $700,000 in each of his first two seasons at Sydney, but his salary is understood to have risen to at least seven figures in 2016.

Boyd crossed to the Bulldogs from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2014 on a seven-year deal worth about $7 million.

The 2013 draft's No.1 pick earned about $140,000 under standardised second-year player wages and match payments in his first year at the Whitten Oval, but that amount spiked markedly in 2016.

Gary Ablett also earned at least $1 million in 2016, while Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe, Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui were widely seen by industry sources as earning close to that mark.

Many have speculated Gary Ablett will spend the majority of his time up forward this year, but the Gold Coast superstar still believes the midfield will be his domain in 2017.

"I believe I've got plenty left in the body and that I'm still able to play high-level football through the midfield," Ablett said.

"I'll sit down with 'Rocket' (coach Rodney Eade) leading into round one and we'll just work out what position he thinks is best for me this year."

Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane has told Gary Ablett he will under no circumstances be allowed to leave the club before his contract expires.

"He's a required player here and he's very much part of the fabric of this club," Cochrane said.

"I'm of the belief that he'll want to be playing in '18 here because of our results in '17.

"Gary Ablett is a required player at the Gold Coast Suns, full stop."

Gary Ablett plays his first game in eight months during the Suns' pre-season clash with the Bulldogs.

Speaking to reporters following the match, Ablett said his troublesome shoulder had got through well.

"You can do all the contact work during the week but there's nothing like the contact that comes in a game," he said.

"It was good, I was able to lay a few tackles, the shoulder felt great and I'll be better for the run."

Touk Miller says his Gold Coast teammates are ready to step out of Gary Ablett's shadow.

"Everyone knows what he (Ablett) brings to the team in terms of his skill level, but you don't want to make it The Gary Show going into it," Miller said.

"We had to build around him at the beginning, but now I think we're starting to get a lot more midfielders going to his level and we can work well as a team.

"It's going to be great having Gary in the squad and playing at his best … (but) we probably don't want to make it all about him."

Gary ablett and Luke Hodge are set to add to their long list of achievements by being named as AFL Life Members.

Ablett and Hodge join St Kilda's Leigh Montagna, Western Bulldogs veteran Matthew Boyd and Sydney 2012 premiership captain Jarrad McVeigh in automatically qualifying for life membership having reached 300 AFL games.

Gary Ablett is a surprise omission from Gold Coast's seven-man leadership group.

"When Gary spoke to me at the end of August to say that he didn't want to keep going with the captaincy, he indicated then that he probably didn't want to be in the leadership group, if that was OK," Suns coach Rodney Eade explained.

"Then he confirmed that in September. It was more about getting his shoulder right and some other things that were going on. He just wanted to concentrate on footy. It's not going to change his leadership.

Suns co-captain Steven May May says he had noticed the difference in Ablett since he relinquished the top job.

"I've just noticed at training he's got a big weight off his shoulders," May said.

"He's just focusing on his body and his football and he doesn't have to worry about all the other things that happen off the field."

Gary Ablett says he is confident in his shoulder after undergoing the invasive latarjet procedure.

In consultation with his specialist and club doctors, Ablett had the shoulder mobile two weeks after surgery and is already able to lift it above his head.

Two years ago he kept it immobilised for eight weeks and the mobility took a long time to return.

Although Ablett won't resume contact work until after Christmas, he says he'll be fully fit by round one unless there's another setback.

"My body's feeling really good. I'm really happy with where it's at," Ablett said.

"It's feeling strong. I haven't got my full range back yet, but I'm confident I'll have that back in the next couple of months."

Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane says Gary Ablett's future could hinge on whether he is forced to endure another injury-plagued season.

"We've put (in) an awful lot of effort, as has he, with his rehab and I think he'll have a great year and he'll be in a good head space," Cochrane said.

"But we do have to face up to the prospect that if he has another shocking year of injury … forget the Gold Coast Football Club, I think he's going to be lost to the game, and that will be an absolute disappointment for every football fan in this country."

Gary Ablett steps down as Gold Coast captain and says he is contemplating quitting football at the end of next season.

"In the back of my mind I want to play two years, but I can't guarantee that and that's because of everything that's going on in my personal life," he said.

"I'm contracted for another two years and I'll sit down with the club at the end of this year and chat.

"Trying to juggle football life and life outside football, I need to see where things are at at the end of this year and I'll make a decision then."

The two-time Brownlow medallist did not want to delve into the issues which have thrown his future into doubt, but spoke of wanting to find balance in his life and "invest" in his marriage with wife Jordan.

"I just think it will give me a better balance between footy life and life outside of football," Ablett said of relinquishing the captaincy.

"Jordan's made the move up and I want to be able to invest in our marriage a little bit more and also give me more time to focus on getting my body right."

Gary Ablett sends a message to his Gold Coast teammates which has been made public.

"I just want you to know that there has been some pretty significant things going on in my immediate family and have been for a few years now," Ablett said in the message.

"Over the last 12-18 months things have deteriorated which prompted me to consider the possibility of a trade.

"I just want you guys to know that the club is aware of our circumstances and expressed their care and have offered to support where possible.

"Please know that I am honestly REALLY looking forward to next year and being 100 per cent committed to you boys and the club, despite my own circumstances."

Campbell Brown takes to Twitter to suggest that Ablett's Suns teammates were annoyed their captain hadn't returned for day one of pre-season training.

After being married in January, Ablett was granted an extra week's leave to enjoy a delayed honeymoon and will return to training next week.

Upon reading Brown's tweet, Ablett's response was succinct: "Mate, you've got my number".

Gary Ablett is homesick and his manager Liam Pickering hasn't ruled out the Gold Coast superstar requesting a trade at the end of 2017.

Pickering wasn’t surprised the star midfielder sought a move home in the 2016 trade period.

"He actually just asked the question and said 'I'm homesick' and I want to get around my family," Pickering said.

"Everyone wants to be around their family, he's newly-married … he's been gone for six years."

However, Pickering added that Ablett's decision at the end of 2017 would hinge on Gold Coast's performance for the year.

"He (Ablett) could come out injury-free, have a great year, the Suns could be flying and he might want to recommit to them even longer," Pickering said.

"Absolutely there's a possibility he’ll finish the next two years there (at Gold Coast) - I think it’s a probability.

"He's contracted, he is their current captain."

Gold Coast is reported to have quickly dismissed a request from superstar midfielder Gary Ablett to return to Geelong.

Ablett has two years of his contract with the Suns remaining, but asked for a trade to the Cats before the start of the NAB AFL Trade Period.

"Gold Coast was very clear on the fact he was their player and will continue to be their player," Cats head of football Steve Hocking told News Corp.

"He had just signed a three-year deal earlier in the year. They were very clear on that and shut it down very quickly to Gary."

Gold Coast CEO Andrew Travis says he has no concerns on whether Gary Ablett will remain at the club at the end of 2016.

"From our point of view, we don't see any risk (of him leaving)," Travis told AFL.com.au.

"It's not something that's even entered our mind.

"There was obviously some external discussion that took place and the story got legs because it did have a bit of romance about it.

"We've got Gary contracted for two years and we see him very much fulfilling his contract with the Gold Coast Suns."

Gary Ablett has chosen a different surgical path this time around – one the Suns skipper hopes will make his troublesome left shoulder stronger than ever.

After consulting two specialists in Melbourne last week, Ablett decided on the invasive latarjet surgery, which he successfully underwent.

"Indications from surgeon Greg Hoy is that he was pleased with the surgery," Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

Gary Ablett says he seriously contemplated retirement in 2014 when he first injured his shoulder.

"I was 31 at the time, I had been playing for 14 or 15 years and I was asking myself the question 'why was I doing this?'," Ablett told the Channel Nine.

"But I said from the start it's about winning a premiership up there. I'm happy with where I am at the moment.

"There has been a lot of hard work go into the last five or six years and I want to be part of that success.

"We're yet to play finals football (and) I thought we would have at least had a taste of it by now."

Geelong coach Chris Scott is clinging to the hope that Sun Gary Ablett will see out his career at the Cats and says he will happily welcome the champion back if he wants to return.

"I'm probably like most Geelong supporters on this one. I've always held on to the pipe dream that he might come back one day," Scott told Channel Nine.

"I'll remove myself as head coach of Geelong just for a minute and put my supporter's cap on and I reckon most of us would love to see him come back. Now, is it going to happen? Unlikely, I would've thought."

Gary Ablett says poor player development in Gold Coast's initial years is behind the team's failure to make the finals after six AFL seasons.

"I feel early days we probably developed the boys the wrong way in terms of what we were teaching them on the training track and on the footy field," he told Channel 9.

"If you look at all the good sides (like) Hawthorn, Geelong – the teams that had success over a long period of time – they do the basics of football well, and I don't think we were training the right drills early days.

"I think we probably thought with games and experience it was just going to happen, and we didn't spend enough time on the training track training the basics of football."

Gary Ablett is ruled out for the rest of the season and will require surgery on his injured left shoulder.

Ablett, 32, was injured when attempting to tackle Mitch Robinson in the final quarter of the Suns' 26-point win over the Brisbane Lions.

It is the same joint he required a reconstruction on in 2014, but Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said it was a different injury.

"No reoccurrence of that episode, this is a totally separate injury," Ashcroft said.

However, Ablett will again require surgery.

"He'll miss the remainder of the year. He'll need to get some surgery at some point," Ashcroft said.

"Again, he'll consult with Greg Hoy, who did his shoulder last time, in Melbourne, early next week.

"The determination as to when he'll have surgery and as to what length of surgery he'll go through will be determined then."

Gary Ablett will miss at least a week of football after struggling to overcome concussion.

A Gold Coast fan who was involved in a heated argument with skipper Gary Ablett last Saturday is no longer a club member.

A statement on the Suns website said both parties came to a joint agreement following the incident after the home team's loss to Melbourne, when Ablett was seen attempting to placate the man as the teams prepared to leave Metricon Stadium.

"The matter was referred to the member code of conduct and as a result, both parties have agreed to a suitable resolution," the statement read.

"The member concerned has apologised for his behaviour and has ceased his membership with the club.

"The club believes supporting your team and being emotionally invested in the match is a vital part of the game, however we will protect the family friendly environment we have, and our members expect, at Metricon Stadium."

Gary Ablett is out of the top 100 of the Schick AFL Player Ratings.

It is the first time the dual Brownlow medallist's spot on the list has fallen into triple figures since the ranking system began being recorded in 2010.

Gary Ablett needed to act as a peacemaker to deal with disgruntled fans after the Suns' 73-point loss to Melbourne on Saturday night.

As players gathered together to leave Metricon Stadium, Ablett walked to the race and talked to vociferous supporters who appeared to be letting their feelings be known.

Ablett kept calm and asked the fans to do likewise, gesturing with his hands as he called for cool heads.

"Supporters turn up every week to support us", he told Fox Footy after the match when asked about the incident.

"When you put in a performance like that you expect (to cop some criticism)."

Gary Ablett says he may have subconsciously been protecting his body through the first six rounds of the season.

But the dual Brownlow medallist says he is working his way back and believes he can recapture the form that made him the game's pre-eminent player.

"I've missed so much footy. I know I play my best football when I'm in-and-under, winning the contested ball," Ablett said.

"I've been challenged by the boys about that.

"Whether it's subconsciously I'm trying to protect the body, I'm not quite sure.

"For me it's about implementing some of those drills at training, doing some contested work and making sure I am really confident in my body going into a game. I'm going to be working on that."

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett says the past 18 months dealing with injury have been among the most challenging of his storied career.

"It's been challenging, there's no doubt about that," Ablett said.

"My first 13 years, I didn't really have an injury. It's been a new experience for me but at the same time it's helped me grow a lot as a person, as a leader."

Gary Ablett is set to play just one NAB Challenge game after suffering a foot niggle.

“He has a mild foot strain which is a little bit grumbly at the moment, so we have off-loaded him today and he just did some work on the bike,” Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade said.

“But he has had such a great pre-season there is no point risking him. He wouldn’t have played three NAB (Challenge) games anyway."

After completing almost the entire pre-season, Gary Ablett says his troublesome knee and shoulder both feel great and he's raring to go for 2016.

"The body is feeling great, the knee is feeling really good," Ablett said.

"(My) shoulder is feeling good as well, (I've) put a lot of time into it over the last six months, really strengthening it up and making sure I’ve got the range back.

"I’m super excited about this year."

Gary Ablett hasn't trained fully since the middle of the 2015 season and will attempt to complete his first full-intensity training session of the pre-season on Monday.

"Gary has been running really well but we've eased his footy in gradually," Suns coach Rodney Eade said.

"He did a quarter (of a session), then a third, then a half. He did three-quarters last Thursday and he'll do it all tomorrow (Monday)."

Suns coach Rodney Eade says he has faith in Gary Ablett to continue as captain of the club in 2016.

"I’ve got no doubt he’ll be captain," Eade said.

"He’s done a good job in trying conditions this year, but at the same time he’s improving all the time.

"He wants feedback, he takes it on board and he’s really embracing it."

As he recovers from a medial ligament knee injury, Gary Ablett says he will be ready for day one of Gold Coast's pre-season in early November.

"It's good. I'll start running in two weeks," Ablett said.

"I'll be doing plenty in the off-season and be I'll be ready to go day one of pre-season. I'm looking forward to that."

Gary Ablett will miss the rest of the season after scans revealed he suffered a medial ligament tear against Adelaide.

Ablett was substituted out of Saturday's game in the first quarter with the Suns initially believing the injury to his left knee involved meniscus or cartilage damage and would sideline him for three to four weeks.

But Ablett confirmed his season was over early on Monday afternoon.

"I've done some damage to the MCL, obviously the ligament in there. They're saying about a grade two (tear) which will mean I've got to be in this brace for four weeks," Ablett said.

"That probably means I'm going to miss the rest of the season which is a bit disappointing. But that's the way it goes. I'll just jump into rehab now and get it right for next season."

Gary Ablett produced his best performance of 2015, but it wasn't the stats that impressed Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade.

The Suns skipper put together a 30 disposal, nine clearance, three goal, 17 tackle masterclass in the 16-point loss against GWS, yet Eade found his best trait elsewhere.

Now in his fifth season as Gold Coast captain, Ablett's leadership has gone to another level according to his coach.

"I thought his game was terrific," Eade said.

"People talk about his leadership, and I don't want to bang on about it, but he's really grown in that area.

"His ability and willingness to direct his teammates and demand more from his teammates, and they're happy to demand more from him."

Suns skipper Gary Ablett says that he is hurt by the drugs saga that has engulfed the club.

"That was the hardest thing for me to take. I know how destructive drugs can be," Ablett said.

"It might be a bit of a wake-up call, which is probably what we needed.

"It disappoints me because I've got people who are close to me in my life that I've seen how destructive it can be, so I care about these guys, the boys as people, and as a leader it's not just helping them grow as footballers, it's helping them grow as people as well, and that's what hurt me.

"I know that everyone makes mistakes and we've just got to make sure we get around them and continue to educate them in the right way."

Gary Ablett will make his return from a shoulder injury this week but Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says expectations on the Suns captain should be kept low.

"I know he's a phenomenon in many ways so he'll probably slot back in seamlessly, but our expectation is just (for him to) be there and be captain," Eade said.

"(He will) give a presence to players who really look forward to him being back as an elder statesman, his experience. I think that'll help the players."

Gary Ablett will make his long-awaited return from injury next Saturday when the Suns take on North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium in round 14.

"I will be there next week," Ablett told radio station 3AW.

"It's been a frustrating couple of months but I feel I've done everything I need to get the shoulder right to get back out there."

Gary Ablett says he hopes to return from his shoulder injury after the Suns' bye.

"There's pain there. If it was as simple as just pain, then I'd be out there," Ablett said.

"I've had a few complications along the way and we are dealing with them now. I'm hoping I can be back first week after the bye."

Ablett says trying to return before he is ready would be a selfish decision.

"I really want to be out there with my teammates right now but I think it would be selfish of me to go out and play, the way my shoulder is at the moment," he said.

"I want to make sure that when I'm out there, I'm ready to go, and I can play my role for the team and have some kind of influence on the game."

Tom Nicholls has vehemently defended Gary Ablett's leadership at the Suns, saying the Gold Coast skipper is doing everything possible to return from injury.

Ablett came under heavy criticism from Jonathan Brown, with the former Brisbane Lions skipper saying it was time Ablett put his shoulder injury aside and got on the field.

"It's time for Gary to stand up, and part of that is playing with injuries," Brown said on Fox Footy.

"There's an obligation to do everything in your powers to play football ... even more so as a leader."

Nicholls said Ablett had clearly explained to his teammates where he was at with the injury.

"Gary hasn't neglected his leadership at all," Nicholls said.

"In our eyes we've had quite a lot of intimate leadership sessions and Gary has spoken to us in depth about his injury, and how he's doing everything he can to overcome it.

"He's so professional, he'll get his body just right before he can play - he won't get it 100 per cent, but he'll get it 80 per cent, so he knows when he's out there, he's not going to let us down."

After a best-on-ground display against Carlton, Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury has assumed the mantle as the competition's best footballer, according to the Official AFL Player Ratings.

It was more than enough to see him leapfrog Gold Coast champion Ablett, who is still on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, and claim the No.1 ranking.

It is the first time in more than three years that Ablett has been dethroned.

Gary Ablett says he hopes to return from injury in "a couple of weeks", but concedes his injured shoulder remains a day-to-day proposition.

"The shoulder's getting there," he said.

"It's a day-to-day thing and I've got to see how I pull up from every session and the real test for it is going to be in about a week's time, when I really ramp up the contact work.

"I can't really put a timeframe on it ... hopefully I'm not too far away and I'm out there in a couple of weeks."

Gary Ablett has admitted he rushed back early from shoulder surgery, but says things will be different next time and his return to action is not far off.

"The last training session before round one where I had to prove myself, I did contact work and it felt good enough, so I put my hand up to play," Ablett said.

"Over those two weeks, it probably went backwards, lost a bit of range and it got a little stirred up.

"I just don't think anyone wants to be running around at 70 per cent, that was the case.

"I probably didn't know that until I got out there and there was certain movements I was really struggling with."

Ablett says he is now doing rehab seven-days-a-week and is confident he can return to his brilliant best.

"I don't feel like it's a long way off," he said.

"The doctors and physios will come up with a plan and make sure this time ... it will be right and I'll be ready to go.

"The body feels good. It's just the shoulder that's restricted me from doing things that I've been able to do in previous years. I believe I can (get back to my best)."

Gary Ablett, has ended the stand-off with his club over a new deal and agreed to terms for a three-year contract extension with Gold Coast.

The deal will see Ablett continue with the Suns until at least the end of the 2018 season.

“When I joined the Gold Coast Suns, I was aware it would be a responsibility and privilege to play a role in forming a new club, in an expansion market for our great game. But I never anticipated the ride to be so fulfilling," Ablett said.

“The Gold Coast Suns are a fantastic club, made up of great people who have all made such a significant contribution to both the AFL and the Gold Coast community.

“I am proud of what we have achieved so far off the field, and I know that with hard work, we are capable of achieving so much more on-field in the future, and that’s why I have re-committed to the Suns."

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says the club has done everything possible to manage Gary Ablett's injured left shoulder, but it will never return to 100 per cent.

Ablett had the shoulder reconstructed last August, but after just two games on the comeback trail, further damage means he is now sidelined indefinitely.

"It's never going to be 100 per cent, because he had an operation," Eade said.

"But I think the medical people and players who have had it before said if they're over 90 per cent, it should be OK."

Eade said it was impossible to replicate AFL intensity at training, but both the club's medical staff and Ablett were satisfied his shoulder was fine heading into round one against Melbourne.

"There's nothing like match practice, playing the game," Eade said.

"Being driven into the ground, it happened twice against Melbourne and once or twice against St Kilda, you're probably not going to practise that with any player."

Gary Ablett is out indefinitely following a further setback to his injured shoulder.

"He strengthened his shoulder considerably in the lead-up to round one," Gold Coast general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

"After a couple of games, where his shoulder has been tested in match conditions, Gary's shoulder has been stirred up, effecting his movement and strength.

"Our advice is that with some rest and the ability to add more strength, Gary should return in a better state to play."

Dr Peter Larkins says Gary Ablett's reluctance to embrace modern medicine for his shoulder injury may be hindering his recovery.

"He's not a big fan of conventional medical treatments, so he doesn't like taking anti-inflammatory tablets - and this is an inflammation condition - and he doesn't like operations," Larkins said.

"I've spoken to him about that, and I think that's great, but the problem is now he's got to accept that natural recovery for this is very poor and he does need medical help.

"He may need to look at least at what the conventional treatments are, which [are] slow, but he needs to be throwing 100 per cent behind the medical advice, and I'm not sure whether that's been the way he's approached it up until now."

Suns coach Rodney Eade dismisses concerns over Gary Ablett's troublesome shoulder after the Gold Coast skipper tallied just 19 disposals against Melbourne, well below his average of previous seasons.

"I think Gary just had a bad day," Eade said post-match.

"He wouldn't have gone out if he wasn't fine, so he's OK."

Gary Ablett has chosen to miss the annual AFL captain's day in Melbourne as he attempts to prove his fitness for next week's season opener.

"Following on-going discussions with Gary and our medical and rehabilitation staff, the club has advised the AFL that Gary will be unavailable to attend the event," Suns chief executive Andrew Travis said.

"As everyone is aware Gary is racing the clock to be declared fit for our round one game against Melbourne."

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says ideally the Suns will learn not to need captain Gary Ablett.

"They've depended on him, there's no doubt about that and the numbers indicate that strongly," Eade told AAP.

"Your midfield's your main area, there were only four players that really basically played in there.

"They were reasonably fatigued by the end of the year. Gary going down, there's no support, where we've got to build a greater breadth and depth of midfielders so that it can take the pressure off Gary.

"Make it so the focus just isn't on Gary, so we can win without him and we don't need him. He's just the cream on the top."

Gary Ablett says he will not be rushed into signing a new deal with Gold Coast but indicates that he has every intention to stay at the Suns.

"I hate talking contracts, but to those who keep asking ... I came up here to win a premiership and that's what I intend to do," he said.

"There's been speculation over the past few months, but I'm contracted until the end of the year, so there's plenty of time to work through the next stage.

"What is important is I love playing for the Suns and this is an extremely talented list.

"We have the right people around the club and with hard work, this is going to be a very exciting year."

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade says Ablett is on track to make his return from a shoulder reconstruction in March's NAB Challenge.

"He has the all-clear that his operation was good and he's not far away from full range (shoulder movement)," Eade said.

"He's still doing a lot of strength work but I expect he'll be having some mild contact work over the next few weeks and doing full contact (work) early to mid-February."

Despite turning 31 in May is still nursing his shoulder, Gary Ablett clocks a personal best in the Suns' two-kilometre time trial.

"It was his best by only a second or two, but that was a really good sign because he has been in rehab a fair bit," Suns coach Rodney Eade told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"It is the first one he has done (since the operation) and he's already got a PB."

Gary Ablett has reportedly been offered a two-year, $2 million-plus contract extension.

Ablett is contracted for 2015 so if he is to agree to the new terms he will be leader of Gold Coast until the end of 2017.

Gary Ablett returns to training without the aid of a sling after recovering from a dislocated shoulder.

"He's ticking all the boxes he needs to - there's a fair bit of work to do, but at the moment we've got a fair bit of time," Gold Coast assistant coach Gary Prescott said.

"He's being aggressive with his rehabilitation, and from all reports it's coming along really well."

New Suns coach Rodney Eade says Gary Ablett can emulate basketball legend Michael Jordan's feats in Chicago at Gold Coast.

Jordan was undoubtedly the NBA's greatest player early in his career, but took until his seventh season to win a championship with the Chicago Bulls.

It started a dynasty that would net the franchise six titles in eight seasons.

"I liken it to Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, where he was the best player in the competition, but they didn't win a championship," Eade said.

"It was his part as a leader, he was able to drag those players, educate and teach those players, to believe in themselves and take that to the next level, and I think Gary can do that."

David Swallow has won his first Gold Coast club champion award, edging out fellow vice-captains Tom Lynch and Dion Prestia in a thrilling count at the Sharks Event Centre.

Swallow is the first man to unseat captain Gary Ablett as the Suns' best and fairest in the club's four-year history.

Gary Ablett says speaking to his father convinced him that surgery was the best option for his dislocated shoulder.

"He's had a dislocated shoulder before and we spoke about what he went through," Ablett said.

"We spoke about the short-term and long-term and felt the right decision to make was to go in for surgery.

"I didn't want to be running around in those last three weeks, running around at 50 per cent worrying if my shoulder was going to pop out again or not, and also thinking long-term as well, the rest of my football career and life after football as well.

"In the end it was an easy decision to make."

The surgeon who performed reconstructive surgery on Gary Ablett's left shoulder on Thursday has told the club that the injury was worse than first thought.

Ablett was initially hoping he would be able to play out the season before going under the knife, but the Suns are now comfortable that sending him off for surgery was the right call.

"I just got an email from our club doctor … and he certainly said it was a wise decision in the end, because it was a bit banged up more than what the MRI showed," Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said.

"Apart from that, everything went well. All the staples and stitches are all in the right place, and he'll start his recovery."

Gary Ablett's season is over, with the Gold Coast skipper set to have reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder.

Ablett will miss the rest of 2014, deciding on the safer, long-term option after two days of careful deliberation.

"This is the most significant injury of my playing career, and we have made the decision in the interest of my long-term playing career," Ablett said.

"It has been a very difficult decision, in particular as there is a temptation to compromise my shoulder's long-term movement in a bid to get back and assist the team to make our first finals appearance."

Gary Ablett's fate will not be known until Wednesday, with Gold Coast staff, specialists and the man himself still considering options to overcome his dislocated shoulder.

Ablett visited leading Melbourne specialist Greg Hoy on Tuesday morning after having scans on the injured shoulder the previous day.

But following an afternoon of deliberation on the best road to recovery, Ablett and the Suns have not reached a decision.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, the Suns said Ablett and their medical team were "in the process of assessing the options available to treat the injury".

Ablett will travel to Melbourne in the next 24 hours to seek further medical opinion as Gold Coast tries to determine the best course of action for his dislocated left shoulder.

Ablett had scans on Monday following Saturday night's injury, but is no clearer just how long he will be sidelined for.

"As we do with every player, we want to get all the facts on the table before we make a decision and plan going forward," general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

"Based on today's scans, our doctor has advised there is no bone damage at all … which is a positive. We still need to get further advice from specialists in Victoria."

Bookmakers have suspended Brownlow Medal markets ahead of confirmation about how many games Gary Ablett will miss with his dislocated shoulder.

Gary Ablett dislocates his shoulder during the Suns' heroic five-point win over Collingwood and will have scans to determine the extent of the damage.

The majority of AFL coaches believe Gary Ablett jnr is a better player than his father.

The finding was part of an annual AFL Coaches' Association survey, which was conducted by AFL Media and published on AFL.com.au and in the AFL Record.

Seventy-seven per cent of the coaches said the Suns' onballer was a better player than his old man.

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett says he hopes Karmichael Hunt stays at the club.

"He's been fantastic for the younger guys. He's a super-hard trainer and just sets a good example," Ablett said.

"Hopefully, as it gets towards the end of the year, he re-signs and will stay here for a few years to come."

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna will speak to the AFL umpires' coach about what he perceives as roughhouse tactics used to curtail Gary Ablett.

"He (Ablett) expects to have a fair opportunity to go and contest the football and if that's unfair that should be umpired accordingly, so that's all I'm going to say," McKenna said.

"I think the rules state that if you turn your eye on the ball and come back to bump someone before a stoppage, I always thought that was a free kick.

"That's what I need clarified. Because if it's not, that's fine, I'll ask our blokes to do it too. But last time I looked, I'm pretty sure it's a free kick."

Gary Ablett remains in Brownlow Medal contention after his elbow on Western Bulldogs tagger Liam Picken was deemed to be within the rules.

The Match Review Panel sourced new vision and then conducted an investigation before deciding that "the contact made to the body was below that required to constitute a reportable offence".

Guy McKenna says Gary Ablett is likely to reach the 400-game mark.

"He's not yet at the peak of his powers," McKenna said.

"He can't run any faster or kick the ball any further but as the support cast grows around him to become the lead cast, and Gary becomes the support cast, its going to be frightening how he's going to play.

"He'll continue to grow as the group grows around him. He'll only get better because he'll have to do less of the stuff. He's still coachable, his leadership is fantastic and you can't fault him."

Despite having two years to run on his contract, Gary Ablett expects to start talks with Gold Coast on an extension sometime this year.

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says the club's increased midfield depth this year won't push captain Gary Ablett into their forward line.

"Let's be honest, he won a Brownlow playing in the midfield and we improved our percentage from 60 per cent to 90 per cent," McKenna said.

"I'm not saying it's all about Gary but he certainly had a huge part to play in that. So I don't just want to rip him out of the midfield and stick him up forward either.

"If he's a strength of ours, and we know he's a strength of ours in and around the clearances where the game is won and lost, well I want him in there."

Scott Pendlebury says he would support the idea of a night Grand Final after watching the NFL Super Bowl.

The 26-year-old recently travelled to the United States with Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett to attend the Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.

"After seeing it, I spoke to 'Gaz' over there and said it would be pretty cool if we did this back in Australia," Pendlebury said.

"It created a great buzz and certainly something that opened my eyes over there is how well they did it, although they did mention the hardest tickets to get in the world are the AFL Grand Final tickets so our code's doing well."

Gary Ablett will remain Gold Coast's captain for a fourth straight season, while the Suns have elevated youngsters David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Tom Lynch into their leadership group.

Swallow, Prestia and Lynch will join Nathan Bock and Michael Rischitelli as vice captains.

"We have been really pleased with the way our playing group has evolved," Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said.

"Our experienced guys, like Gary, Nathan and Michael, have had a huge task in not just establishing and growing our club but also our players, and for us now to be in a position to elevate some of our inaugural season debutants can be attributed to their great work."

Gary Ablett and Scott Pendlebury joined the Australian cricket team at the MCG on Friday - as their drinks waiters.

Ablett and Pendlebury both worked with the Gatorade hydration team to prepare the drinks cart, with the dual Brownlow medallist getting the nod to take the drinks out to the players at a break on day two of the Boxing Day Test.

Ablett and Pendlebury's temporary career move was to celebrate Gatorade's new three-year partnership with the AFL. The global drinks company has supported Cricket Australia for more than seven years.

Gary Ablett claims his second Brownlow Medal to become the first player to win the award with two different clubs.

Ablett polled 28 votes to finish one vote ahead of Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, with Collingwood's Dane Swan a further vote back on 26.

It was a dramatic count at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, perfectly staged by the AFL as chief executive Andrew Demetriou revealed Ablett's medal-winning votes with the last announcement of the night.

"I'm lost for words, honestly - I didn't expect to win it in the end. Obviously it's a fantastic feeling," Ablett said.

"As I said up there, I really have to thank my teammates, because without those boys I couldn't be up here."

Ablett expressed satisfaction at being able to prove those who doubted he could replicate his Geelong form with Gold Coast wrong.

"When I heard that at first, I have to admit it was a little bit hurtful," he said.

"But at the same time, that really drove me to want to prove people wrong and get up there and keep improving my football."

Gary Ablett wins a record fifth Leigh Matthews Trophy after being voted by his peers as the AFL Players' Association most valuable player.

Ablett polled 1,479 votes to win the prestigious trophy from Joel Selwood (475) and Jarryd Roughead (378) and says his primary aim for 2013 was to improve as leader of the Suns.

"That was probably my No.1 focus, and then to play consistent football, knowing it was going to be challenging because we did have such a young list," Ablett said.

"I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I'm a very competitive person and I guess I wanted to prove people wrong in a way."

Gary Ablett has kept his perfect record intact, being named as the Gold Coast Suns' club champion for the third straight year.

The star midfielder polled 260 votes to win from Dion Prestia (213) and Jaeger O'Meara (204) in front of a sold-out crowd at the Sharks Event Centre on the Gold Coast.

Queenslanders Rory Thompson (162) and Jarrod Harbrow (149) rounded out the top five.

After some red hot form, Joel Selwood takes over from Gary Ablett as the new Brownlow Medal favourite.

"What looked like a foregone conclusion, virtually, for Ablett when he was $1.40 a month ago has now really started to have some life put back into it now," TAB Sportsbet's media manager Adam Hamilton said.

"With Ablett going off the radar to some extent, there's been really good support for Selwood."

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says Geelong deliberately undermined Gary Ablett's off-field character in 2010 in an effort to prevent the star midfielder from moving north.

"I'm now convinced that Geelong was sending out smoke signals saying 'don't take this bloke because he's not going to be able to do this, this and this'," McKenna said.

"When you hear those things initially that 'he's not going to do this, he's aloof, he's not going to give too much, he's competitive and will play good footy but won't show the way off the field', well, that's not what I'm seeing.

"I smell a bit of smoke from down Geelong way. Geelong are a very honourable club and may be right, but from what I've seen… since he's been up here, he would have done more than what's expected."

Despite being contracted until the end of 2015, Gary Ablett has already approached the Suns about a further contract extension.

"I've got another two years after this on my contract. Hopefully the club will extend from there. I've approached them about negotiating a couple of times, but they've said 'hang on, we'll wait to see how you go next year'," Ablett said with a laugh.

"I really want to win a premiership up here, that's a big part of the reason why I came up here.

"It'd be great to hold up that premiership cup one day and hopefully we can do that before my time's up."

Gary Ablett amasses 49 disposals, 10 clearances and two goals as the Suns shock the Magpies at Metricon Stadium in a seven-point win.

"The support crew are growing up around Gary,'' Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said.

"If we keep loading him up we'll shorten his career. These boys are diving in now and owning the football.

"He's had to do most of it himself and if we can cut him some slack in that area it's only going to extend his career and make us better.''

Gary Ablett will be soaking up every joyous moment when he returns to Geelong for his first game there since 2010.

"When we came here in 2011, I walked out on the ground before the game and they clapped me and cheered me, which was a good feeling," Ablett said.

"But there weren't many people there at the time and I was only on the ground for five minutes so it will be interesting to see how we go this weekend.

"I have always loved playing on the ground and we (Geelong) went undefeated for 25-30 odd games, so there are just a lot of good memories."

Gary Ablett will play his first game at Simonds Stadium since defecting to the Suns in 2010. Cats chief executive Brian Cook says he believes Geelong supporters will give Ablett a warm reception.

"We were very, very unhappy to lose him, but that was the name of the game and the need for a national competition," Cook said.

"I think he will get a lot of cheers. I don't think he will get any boos at all. The people love him here. They love his father and they love him.

"And you never know, in three or four years he just may consider coming back our way, who knows."

After dominating against St Kilda in round one with four goals, Gary Ablett says he may spend more time up forward as he gets older.

"We have got so many guys who can run through the midfield and the more time we can get into those guys the better we will be as a team," Ablett said.

"In each game this year, my role might change. I'll still get to run around in the midfield, but depending on who we play I might play two to three quarters up forward."

Karmichael Hunt says he is looking forward to his new role as the Suns' tagger and will work closely with skipper Gary Ablett to learn his craft.

"I'm relishing it at training. I'll obviously be around the ball a lot more, and hopefully I can get a few jobs done," Hunt said.

"Gazza has been on the sidelines a bit of late and I haven't been able to mark-up on him, but I'm sure he'll teach me a few lessons once he's ready to go.

"I think he's got every trick in the book, and if he can give me any insight into what he doesn't like, I'm sure it's going to be beneficial for my game."

The Gold Coast board endorse Gary Ablett as captain of the Suns for the third straight season.

Ablett will lead the team ahead of vice-captains Nathan Bock and Michael Rischitelli.

Cameron Mooney says favourite son Gary Ablett could finish his career back at Geelong if Gold Coast Suns fail to improve.

"Every time he speaks to his mates back home, I think they say, `When are you coming home, Gaz?'" Mooney said.

"So he knows he's popular back here and he is very close with his mum and his brother and sister and his father. The Geelong Football Club and the Ablett name - it's a magic potion, I tell you."

A back injury is restricting Gary Ablett during the Suns' pre-season boot camp in Arizona.

"He has done a lot of load through the camp and he has done almost everything," Suns football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

"The thing now is because it is getting late in the second week there is no point risking him if he is a little bit sore."

Cats recruiter Stephen Wells says Geelong got the most it could from the two compensation picks it received for Gary Ablett after using them to obtain Billie Smedts and Josh Caddy.

"We'd like to think that we've used the compensation picks to the club's best advantage," Cats recruiting boss and list manager Stephen Wells said.

"When they were allocated, they were both going to be (picks that fell) out in the 20s while the expansion teams were involved in the compromised drafts.

"The pick that we've traded to the Gold Coast sits next to where we finish on the ladder, and we hope Josh can help us finish up the ladder."

Gary Ablett says returning to Melbourne down the track is a definite consideration for him.

"I do miss my family and friends, but I am enjoying my time up there, it's a fantastic club and we've got great people around it," Ablett said.

"I've got three years up there, it kind of depends on what happens in the next three years. If we're lucky enough to get a premiership or two in that time I might even give the game away and move back down here.

"But I'm not sure, it's too far away to answer that question."

AFL golden couple Gary Ablett and Lauren Phillips call it quits after having been together for the better part of nine years.

Phillips was noticeably absent from the Most Valuable Player awards at Docklands recently, which Ablett won for the fourth time.

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett has been voted the AFL's Most Valuable Player by his peers, winning the Leigh Matthews Trophy for a record-breaking fourth time.

"Being the captain up there, I've had to change a few things about how I've gone about football on the field and off the field," Ablett said.

"There's no doubt that although I'm 28 now I'm going to keep trying to improve my game and hopefully help the team get a premiership."

Gary Ablett has won another award, taking out his second consecutive best and fairest award at Gold Coast.

Ablett polled 215 votes, winning ahead of Harley Bennell (163 votes) and Danny Stanley (84 votes).

Richmond midfielder Trent Cotchintakes out the AFL Coaches' Association best player award ahead of Collingwood's Dayne Beams and Gold Coast Sun Gary Ablett.

Karmichael Hunt kicks a goal after the siren to give Gold Coast their first win of the season against Richmond.

"I took the pressure off myself, went back to the top of my run, remembered a few things the coaches have been working on with kicking goals and rocked up and slotted it through," Hunt said.

"I didn't have much time to think to be honest. I've dreamed about situations like that and you've just got to keep it as simple as possible."

Gary Ablett says he is frustrated at being placed in a lose-lose situation regarding his contribution to the Suns' development.

"There was obviously talk about the 53 possessions and was that at a detriment to the club, then I came out last week and I didn't have much of the footy at all and didn't play too well and that's also a detriment to the club apparently," he said.

"I won't lie, I have read some of the articles that have been written this year and it is hurtful to hear some of that stuff.

"But at the same time I think it has always motivated me when I've learnt that people are writing rubbish, it's motivated me to want to get out there and prove people wrong."

After Gary Ablett tallies 53 disposals in yet another Suns loss, Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna denies the team's development is being hurt by Ablett's dominance.

"It doesn't stifle anyone's development," McKenna said.

"Naturally it will be one person's development, because he's in the middle someone else can't be in there, but it's only one person, I don't think it's massive in the scheme of things.

"He got 53 possessions on the weekend because of his sheer competitiveness and work-rate. I don't ever want to stop a player doing that."

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett explains his on-field exchange with Rory Thompson during the Suns' match against Port Adelaide.

"I didn't think there was an issue at all. Rory couldn't even remember the incident after the game but the media have run with it and made it into a big thing. I moved on pretty quickly," Ablett said.

"I didn't think the body language was great and I wanted to spark the boys up and I felt if we could win that centre bounce and get it forward, it might help the boys out and get a bit of confidence going again - that's all it was."

Following Gary Ablett's scathing assessment of Ryan Crowley's tagging tactics, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is adamant that Gold Coast do not respect his side.

"At the end of the day, Ryan's really comfortable in his own skin - it didn't phase him too much," Lyon said.

"He's a working-class AFL footballer. I admire his preparation and his effort. Not all of us are gifted in the extreme and I really admire the way he turns his year-on-year performance around."

Following controversial comments about Docker Ryan Crowley, Gary Ablett says star players should not have to put up with questionable tactics from taggers and should get greater assistance from the umpires.

"It's tough for the umpires ... to watch every individual around the stoppages would be a tough job for them," he said.

"But it does get frustrating at times because you feel like you don't get a fair run at the ball. I don't know how the umpires can fix it ... maybe they pay a few more free kicks early on [in a match] so it does stop."

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett's knee is not recovering as hoped, and he will be out for two to three weeks more.

Gary Ablett's provocative tweet aimed at Freo's Ryan Crowley has caused a wave of controversy.

"Crowley is a joke. Play the ball not the man! That's why Lingy was such a great players he ran both ways! #givejuddafreekick,," Ablett tweeted to his 47,000 followers during the first half of the Fremantle-Carlton game.

"Crowley 3 touches Judd 6 touches who's doing the better job?" he later tweeted.

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett has confirmed he is likely to miss two to three weeks due to minor damage and bone bruising to his knee.

"I'll do everything right that I have to and hopefully just miss this week and hopefully the week after it'll be good. I know it's a big call but fingers crossed it pulls up well as the days go by," Ablett said.

"It is a relief. I wouldn't say a good result, I'd love to play this week but it's not serious. Doc said two to three weeks but I'm pretty confident I can get back earlier."

Gary Ablett suffers a knee injury against Brisbane and Suns coach Guy McKenna says this may be a wake-up call for the rest of the side.

"From a coaching point-of-view, it might be a wake-up call," McKenna said.

"We can't just be riding on the coat tails of 'Gaz'. Maybe some of the other boys need to start rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty.

"Hopefully the players around him can grow up a bit quicker because that's what we need."

Gary Ablett share his thoughts on what Greater Western Sydney can expect in its inaugural season after his experience with Gold Coast in 2011.

"There's no doubt it is challenging in the first year when you have so many new people and new players around a footy club," Ablett said.

"You don't really know what to expect, but at the same time, that's pretty exciting."

Gary Ablett, Chris Judd and Nick Riewoldt are reported to be the AFL's top paid players with Ablett earning in excess of $1 million.

Karmichael Hunt is named in Gold Coast's leadership group.

"It's a privilege to be voted in by the boys as a leader," Hunt said.

"I look forward to the role and taking it on board and helping us reach the goals we want to achieve."

Hunt's promotion is endorsed by Suns captain Gary Ablett.

"It's a great effort to get up in the leadership group, especially coming from another code. He's been fantastic for everyone around the club and I'm super proud of him," Ablett said.

"I've been able to see since day one that 'K' was always going to be a leader of this football club and it's a great reward for him."

Gary Ablett was partying in Las Vegas while his former teammates won another flag against Collingwood in the 2011 grand final, but he says he still has no regrets.

"I am happy with the decision I have made," Ablett said.

"I knew when I made the decision to go up there it was going to be a tough first year and maybe even a tough second year but if we can win a few premiership before my time is up its going to be a pretty satisfying feeling taking your club from nothing to a premiership.''

Gary Ablett says a fifth straight All-Australian gong as a Sun will provide recognition of his ability to perform without the support of his more recognized teammates at Geelong.

"There is no doubt about that. There was a lot of talk before the season about how I was going to go not having some of the players who were around me. But I am a very competitive person," he said.

"I really enjoyed the year. It was hard losing and I hate losing but I always knew when I made this decision it was going to take time, and it will, but we will get there."

Gary Ablett can add the Gold Coast Suns' inaugural club champion award to his long list of honours, claiming the title by a wide margin on Friday night.

Ablett tallied 196 votes to easily finish well in front of vice captain Nathan Bock (138) and Michael Rischitelli (100).

"It's been a pretty tough year. There's been a lot of ups and downs but I've really enjoyed it," Ablett said.

"I'm really excited about the future. With all these young kids I've been really proud of the way they've gone about their footy this year and the amount of improvement they've had."

After a slow start, David Swallow's combination with Gary Ablett is improving by the week.

"Definitely the bond is getting there, just knowing where he runs to and how he sets up at stoppages, we're definitely getting better," Swallow said.

"The more time we have together hopefully the better we'll get. He's the ultimate professional. He's an absolute freak on the field. He's averaged 30-35 touches a game I think. The way he goes about it in all aspects of his life is outstanding."

Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett Jnr says his dad is the best player of all time after Malcolm Blight was quoted as saying that Ablett Jnr was the better player.

"It's very hard to compare us as players. I've played a lot more in the midfield, he took a lot more hangers and kicked a lot more goals," Ablett said.

"He's the best footy player [of all time] in my opinion. Until someone special comes along, I don't think it's going to change."

Gary Ablett says a premiership with Gold Coast would be more satisfying that his two premierships with Geelong.

"It is a club that started from nothing and I don't think there's been a time where you've seen another football club that's playing maybe 14 guys that have played under six games," Ablett said.

"If we can win a premiership down the track, I think that would be even more satisfying than the 2007 and 2009 Grand Finals."

Gary Ablett expresses offense to being called a party boy by the Melbourne media.

"I HAVE been called a few things in my time, but never a party boy. That insinuation is both insulting and a complete lie," Ablett wrote in an article for the Herald Sun.

"This has probably been the hardest week of my career because it is the first time my professionalism has come into question. And that does hurt because I know it's untrue."

Gary Ablett has denied speculation that he left Geelong over a feud with former coach Mark Thompson, saying he left in a bid to rekindle his love of the game.

"I just want to make this clear: I've got a lot of respect for Bomber, he was a big part of why Geelong had the success they did," Ablett said.

"We had a disagreement about a few things, but I think that's the same at any club. I'm sure our relationship, when we catch up at Grand Final reunions and things like that, we'll have a chat and remember the good times back then."

Gary Ablett explains how he had lost the passion for footy at Geelong in a column for the Herald Sun.

"It was becoming repetitive and I was losing a bit of the enjoyment," he wrote.

Enjoyment is the most important thing. If I had stopped enjoying it, then I wouldn't want to play the game any more. At the Suns there is a fresh challenge."

Gary Ablett has been in solid training for over three weeks and will be fit and ready to go for the Gold Coast's first home and away match.

"I've had three or four weeks of good solid training, I would have liked to have gotten out there this week the fitness guys want to hold me back a few weeks," Ablett said.

"We play a scratch match the week of round one and I'm hoping to play that game at this stage and then get out there for the first game in round two."

A groin injury has ruled Gold Coast's star recruit Gary Ablett out of the club's NAB Cup opener with the Brownlow medallist expected to be sidelined for at least four matches.

"From the diagnosis we have been given, there are no long-term ill effects," Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

"We need to give him some match practice but it's undetermined when."

Gary Ablett has been named as the Suns' inaugural skipper, with Nathan Bock as his vice-captain.

"It's an honour and a privilege to be voted as the first captain of the Gold Coast Football Club," Ablett said.

"It's something that I am very excited about, getting into the challenges ahead."

Gary Ablett takes over the Gold Coast captaincy from the little-known Marc Lock who served as captain of the Gold Coast for the past two years, leading the club through a season in the TAC Cup and a year in the VFL.

"To have these boys as the three leaders of your club, there wouldn't be any three better players to learn off, I wouldn't think, in the AFL," he said.

"Hopefully (I can) stick around this leadership group for a couple of years and learn a fair bit off these blokes."

Geelong's Travis Varcoe is hoping he can earn a midfield berth from new coach Chris Scott now that Gary Ablett has left.

"I'd love to get into the midfield. I just need to get fit enough, like everyone else," Varcoe said.

"Obviously we'd love to have Gary Ablett back but it's done and dusted and it has opened up a few spots for the young boys. So the situation with Gary leaving has opened a lot of doors for the younger guys and it's pretty exciting."

Gary Ablett talks about his strained relationship with former Geelong coach Mark Thompson to the Herald Sun, revealing that the two did not speak to each other after round 5 of 2010.

"He grabbed me in his office for a chat, but it was more, 'Why haven't you signed for the club?' and I just said, 'To be honest with you, Bomber, I'm not that comfortable discussing it with you. I'm still working through that with the club'," Ablett said.

"I just felt that he's the coach, I'm the player. Contracts shouldn't be his role. But we had a pretty big argument there in his office, he walked out, I walked out, and he hasn't really spoken to me since, to be honest."

Star Gold Coast recruit Gary Ablett says he is excited about the club after the Suns picked up several exciting youngsters in the 2010 national draft.

"It's going to be a real challenge for us next year, and I am just excited to be getting into it," Ablett said.

"The draft is over and we have picked up the last remaining kids, and I start training on Monday. I can't wait to get into it, get down and see what these kids can do. It should be lots of fun."

Joel Selwood edges out Gary Ablett to win his first Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong's best and fairest for the 2010 season.

Selwood's win allows the club to escape any awkwardness in rewarding Ablett with the medal after the latter announced his move to the new Gold Coast Suns franchise.

Gary Ablett insists there's no rift with coach Mark Thompson despite not having informed Thompson of his decision to join the Suns.

"I didn't get the opportunity to speak to Bomber, obviously, with everything that happened yesterday," Ablett said.

"He wasn't there today. I spoke to the club and I'll catch up with him and have a chat about it."

New Gold Coast signing Gary Ablett says it would be 'fantastic' to be the club's inaugural captain in 2011.

"Leadership is something I've really worked hard on over the past three or four years to become the best possible leader I can," Ablett said.

"I guess I want to get up there and prove myself as a leader and do the best I possibly can. If the guys decide to give me the captaincy, that would be fantastic. If someone else is better for the role I'll be just as happy for them."

Gary Ablett announces his decision to join the Gold Coast Suns saying he welcomes the challenge of playing for a new team.

"I gave my all to Geelong and will always be grateful to a club that has been such a big part of my life," Ablett said.

"This is an opportunity to be involved in something from the beginning. While the talk will be about money, the decision was not solely about money. The challenge ... of the football field is much more exciting to me."

Cameron Ling says Gary Ablett will always be welcome at Geelong, despite his cross to Gold Coast.

"Gary will always be welcome at the Geelong footy club," Ling said.

"He's done a lot of good things here and played a major part in what we've been able to achieve, so he'll always be welcome here."

Geelong president Frank Costa has led a chorus from the Cats for their star midfielder to reject a massive offer from Gold Coast following the team's loss to Collingwood in a preliminary final.

"I don't think we'll lose Gary. That's my personal opinion," Costa said.

"But I don't know, because the arrangement we made with Gary's management at the start of the year was that we wouldn't talk about it until after our last game. This is our last game, so it will be spoken about next week."

Gary Ablett's manager Liam Pickering says Geelong will meet with the midfielder this week in a last-ditch bid to keep him from joining Gold Coast.

"They will put their presentation in front of Gary again - one more time - which will be good," Pickering said.

"I'll sit down with Gary over the next few days, and then we'll go down and meet Cooky (Geelong chief executive Brian Cook) and Balmey (football manager Neil Balme) and the boys, and probably do the same with the Gold Coast."

Geelong believe that Gary Ablett will make a decision on his future before the finals and are optimistic that he will stay with the Cats.

"Acting on fresh information, we think an announcement is coming before the finals," a senior Geelong source said.

"The indications are Gary wants to clear the air before the finals."

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna declares that he is fairly confident of getting Geelong star Gary Ablett to the Gold Coast next year.

"Fairly confident. I'm a fairly optimistic person," McKenna said about the prospects of signing Ablett.

"When he sat down with Gary we put all our eggs in the basket, we explained the club, where we're heading, why we need him, all those sorts of reasons."

Former Geelong captain Tom Harley believes Gary Ablett is more likely than not to head to Gold Coast in 2011.

"I'm probably with the common school of thought that the longer it drags on, the more likely it is he's going to go," Harley said on Melbourne radio station SEN.

"I guess when you come out and make a statement that it'll be finalised by mid-year, and mid-year starts to fast approach and then you have to call it off to the end of the year it leaves it a bit messy."

Gary Ablett's manager Liam Pickering advised Geelong on Monday that his client was unlikely to make a decision on his future before the end of the season.

"We just cannot continue to talk about it like this every half-day which we do," Pickering said.

"We have lots of contracts to finish of which Gary, understandably, is the most important but the point I'm making is that let's put the contract to one side, let's worry more about our performance on field."

Geelong's coach says analysis of his comments on the future of Gary Ablett are unfair and a distraction for the club.

"I just don't want to say too much because I feel like I get bashed over the head everytime I open my mouth. I think it's a little bit unfair," Thompson said.

"Everybody's got a comment about Gary Ablett but to be honest our players just want to concentrate on this year when Gary's here. We're going to try and get the best out of him and let's hope it doesn't distract Gary too much."

Gold Coast is offering Gary Ablett more than $2 million for his first season with the new club, and is confident it will get its man.

"I am absolutely confident we will get the eight to 10 players we want," Gold Coast chief executive Travis Auld said.

"We won't be able to hand-pick the best player from every team, because clubs didn't come down in the last shower and are signing their best players, but we are confident we will get who we want. We won't hypothesise about what happens if we don't, because it won't come to pass."

Gary Ablett has fronted Geelong's leadership group over his attendance at an after-Logies party on Monday night.

"I just had a chat to him with the leadership group and he probably made a wrong decision by going out to that function," Geelong coach Mark Thompson said.

"We don't mind people going out for dinner, and he was drinking water - he guaranteed that he wasn't drinking alcohol - so that's not a bad thing. He guaranteed that he was only there for an hour and wasn't drinking any alcohol so it's not a big problem for us."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says a poster in the Gold Coast Bulletin depicting Gary Ablett Jr as a Gold Coast player is unethical and places pressure on the Geelong star.

"It's pretty cheeky really. It just puts more pressure on Gary. It's a little bit outside the rules and the ethical boundaries of the industry we're in", Thompson said.

"I don't think Gary wants to be posted up as a Gold Coast player just yet."

The Gold Coast Bulletin publishes a poster of Cats star Gary Ablett Jr in a Gold Coast jumper being to promote the new club.

"If you want to see the AFL's greatest player in a Gold Coast Football Club jersey in 2011 then sign up now," the poster said.

Geelong have asked the AFL to investigate the unauthorized use of Gary Ablett in the poster.

"The advertisement uses the intellectual property of Gary Ablett without his permission," the Cats said in a statement.

"We look forward to the AFL, the AFLPA and IMG, Gary's management company, taking the appropriate action following this clear contravention of the rules."

Geelong defender Harry Taylor says he would be willing to sacrifice pay to keep Gary Ablett from Gold Coast's clutches.

"Gary has the ability to just turn it on. From a personal point of view I'd love to play with him rather than against him, so I certainly would be willing [to take a pay cut], but I can't speak for the whole group," Taylor said.

"Gary is very level-headed. He keeps a lot of his personal life private, which is a great way to be. The players don't seem to worry about it at all. It's in the papers so often, but we tend to just worry about what we need to do and that's to win games of football."

Mark Thompson believes that Gary Ablett has decided whether to stay at Geelong or to accept a lucrative offer from Gold Coast.

"Gary probably already knows what he's going to do," Thompson said.

"So we've just got to wait for him to tell us which way he is going to go."

Gary Ablett Jr's manager Liam Pickring says Mark Thompson's public plea for Ablett to stay at Geelong was out of line.

"I didn't think it read all that well. It was a bit unnecessary but, again, he was probably just having a bit of a joke," Pickering said on SEN radio's show Off The Bench.

"It's a bit uncomfortable if you are the centre of the discussion point in front of 700 people and you are put on the spot by the coach."

Geelong captain Cameron Ling says speculation about whether Gary Ablett will join Gold Coast next season is a non-issue within the club.

"Within the media and within the footy public there's obviously a lot of interest in it, but quite honestly within the footy club, there's nothing; it's non-existent," Ling said.

"I know that we are and Gary is completely focused on 2010 and more importantly on round one."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson half-jokingly tells Gary Ablett Jr to stay with the Cats if he wants team success at the club's season launch.

"Seven hundred people in this room heard Gary Ablett say the only reason he plays is to play in a premiership," Thompson said.

"So Gary, you'd be more of a chance than at the other mob that are offering all that money."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says that the club must adapt to the reality that stars Gary Ablett Jr and Joel Selwood will be tempted to leave for more lucrative deals at expansion clubs or via free agency.

"We've been a club that has traditionally recruited and developed our own players," Thompson said.

"But in saying that, if you get some players walking out on you after eight years of service, we might be forced to change the way we do business and look at another way of doing it, and that's by getting some ready-made players from other clubs."

Geelong president Frank Costa says the club will seek the aid of local businesses in a bid to match any offer that Gary Ablett may receive from the Gold Coast.

"It will be more than one business because it's got to be justified," Costa said.

"So you're not going to get any ridiculous sum from any firm that can't prove that the value is there for what they're paying."

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says he is still hoping to convince Gary Ablett to leave Geelong at the end of the year.

"We've got fingers, legs and everything else crossed that he does," McKenna said.

"All I can say is we've got rules in place, we've also got a salary cap in place and I would be derelict in my duties to not go after the best players available."

Gary Ablett Jr's former manager, Michael Baker, believes he will resist overtures from the Gold Coast to sign with Geelong.

"Geelong is like a family to him," Baker said.

"In that sense, realistically, Geelong has a lot more to offer him. He's happy there and he likes the set-up. That's important to him. And I know he's a pretty dedicated, very loyal person, young Gary. I think he will stay."

Cameron Ling will lead Geelong's premiership defence as captain this season, with an expanded leadership group behind him.

"It's got a bit of romanticism to it - Cameron supported the Cats when he was a kid, played for St Josephs, played for the Falcons, played for our VFL team, played for our AFL team, became an All-Australian, has finished in the top-four seven times in our best-and-fairest and is a dual premiership player both in the pre-season comp and the home-and-away season," Cats chief executive Brian Cook said.

"It speaks volumes for him - not only does he meet his commitments on the field and off the field, but he displays great values."

Cameron Ling will head Geelong's leadership group that includes Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Joel Selwood, James Kelly and Harry Taylor. Kelly and Taylor are new additions to the group for 2010.

Joel Selwood says he and Geelong teammate Gary Ablett are in the midst of contract talks with the Cats and are hoping to end the speculation they could join the competition's new franchises in the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

"This is a great club with a great history and I'm like Gary, going through contract talks at the moment. Hopefully we'll get them done soon enough so we can both get our names out of the paper and not be linked to all these clubs," he said.

Footy star Gary Ablett and long-time girlfriend Lauren Phillips have been celebrating the end of the decade in style with friends and family in New York.

Gary Ablett's manager Liam Pickering has tried to play down the secret meeting between the pair and Gold Coast Football Club officials.

"We had a chat with them. There was nothing sinister about it. The Cats knew that at some stage we'd have a chat with them (Gold Coast) so I've spoken with Geelong and they're fine," Pickering said.

Media reports indicate that Gary Ablett and his manager have held talks with Gold Coast club officials.

The meeting was held in chief executive Travis Auld's apartment in Broadbeach and the party was spotted by Port Adelaide players who were staying in the same apartment complex.

Dual premiership players Gary Ablett and Corey Enright have tied for the 2009 Geelong best and fairest award.

The win is Enright's first while Ablett has now won two best and fairest awards in Geelong's two recent premiership years.

Gary Ablett says he is happy to share the Carji Greeves Medal for Geelong's best and fairest with teammate Corey Enright.

"I was hoping that it would be a draw at the end," he said.

"I didn't want to pip him by a few, and I was hoping he didn't pip me by a few, so it's great to have a draw. He's had a consistent season and a great year and he well deserves the medal."

Geelong's Gary Ablett is announced as the AFL Coaches Association's Player of the Year for a third straight year in front of more than 500 guests at Crown.

The title means Ablett has won the Brownlow Medal, coaches' award and AFL Players Association MVP Award in 2009.

Geelong champion Gary Ablett has capped three brilliant seasons by winning the 2009 Brownlow Medal.

"There's relief in a way. As I said before, I felt the media had built up the pressure and the favouritism over time, and it gets tough at times to shut it out," Ablett said after winning the medal.

"It's a bit surreal in a way. I'll get back to my room and I'll sit down with my family and friends and think about it a bit more then."

Gary Ablett is awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy after being voted the most valuable player by the AFL Players' Association for the third straight year.

"It is very humbling to win this award and to receive it three years in a row is a tremendous honour," Ablett said.

"The respect that the players have for this award is enormous and as the only player-voted award, it is one of the highest honours you can receive in this game."

Reclusive superstar Gary Ablett Sr joined his two sons, Nathan and Gary Jr, at Geelong's 150th birthday celebration.

A mass of possessions has seen Magpie Dane Swan overtake Gary Ablett as the punter's favourite to win the Brownlow.

"His last 10 weeks have basically seen him force his way to favouritism, while Ablett missed round 15 then he had a couple of quieter games. Judd has also been quiet over the past two weeks," TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said.

"Not only is he favourite, but he's a clear-cut favourite."

Dane Swan and Alan Didak have been sensationally backed to win the Brownlow Medal in recent weeks, with bookmakers now rating both players among the top half-dozen chances to win football's top award.

TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said while Geelong's Gary Ablett remained outright favourite at $3, the weight of support for the Collingwood pair meant the star Cat's price had eased.

Carlton champ Chris Judd is second pick at $3.50 and his price remained steady after a solid performance against Richmond at the weekend.

Gary Ablett Jr speaks to his brother Nathan Ablett every day - but never about a return to the big time.

Nathan famously walked away from the Cats despite being a required player who had contributed to their 2007 AFL flag.

"There are a lot of players in the AFL who don't really enjoy themselves but they keep playing the game because they feel the pressure to stay there or they are not sure what will be there for them if they don't have football," Gary Ablett Jr said.

"There are always people saying if you have got the talent use it, but Nathan was keen to get away and I respect him for that."

The fascination with Gary Ablett and the Brownlow Medal is becoming too much, says Geelong coach Mark Thompson.

"He has to deal with it and I think it irritates him a bit - well, maybe not irritates, but it is just another pressure that he probably doesn't need," Thompson said.

"I would hate to be in Gary Ablett's shoes because for three years now he has been talked about. It's completely out of his hands and all he can do is play great team footy and try and help us win games."

The AFL's official statisticians have named Leigh Montagna as their Brownlow Medal bolter.

Using the formula that tipped Jimmy Bartel as runaway winner in 2007 and Adam Cooney as a top-three certainty last year, Champion Data has Montagna as the only challenger to Gary Ablett.

Champion Data has Montagna, St Kilda's most potent ball carrier, on 17 votes after 11 rounds.

Bookmakers will be relieved that Brownlow Medal favourite Gary Ablett will be absent through injury.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says he expects Gary Ablett to return bigger and better from his groin injury.

"This will be a great refresher for Gary Ablett and he'll probably come back bigger and better than ever," Thompson said.

"To have one or two weeks off during the year is not necessarily a bad thing."

Gary Ablett will miss up to three weeks for Geelong following scans on his injured groin which revealed a strained adductor.

Brownlow medal favourite Gary Ablett may is likely to miss next Saturday's home clash against Sydney Swans due to groin soreness after Geelong's win over the Demons.

''He's a little bit tight in his groins. Gary has a history of doing that and its just total management,'' Geelong coach Mark Thompson said.

''He's a little bit sorer than normal and with a six-day recovery we'll really have to see how he pulls up, but we won't be taking any risks with Gary. If he's not right, he won't play.

''We're not overly concerned at all. He does get tight groins periodically and some weeks pull up tighter than others. He may miss a week but it wouldn't be any more, I wouldn't think. We're certainly not going to play him to make him sorer.''

As dominant as he has been, history says Gary Ablett is a massive Brownlow Medal risk at a price that is the shortest since medal betting began.

Saint Nick Dal Santo has been the big mover in Brownlow betting, but the punters still think the medal is Gary Ablett's to win.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson has called on umpires to crack down on physical tags put on star midfielder Gary Ablett.

"If people start attacking him then umpires have every right to give free kicks to people who are ball players," Thompson said.

Gary Ablett will take time in deciding if his stellar 46-disposal hit-out against the Crows was his best ever game.

"My best ever game? It's hard to say at this stage, I'll go back and review it and make up my mind then," Ablett said after the game.

"I didn't realise at the end of the game that I'd had that many touches until the boys told me.

"I'm pretty happy with it obviously but as I said, I'll go back over the game and make decisions then."

Eddie McGuire has angrily slammed claims by media personality Dave Hughes that Collingwood supporters chanted cruel insults at Gary Ablett.

"Who reported it? Dave Hughes, who makes a living out of hanging s--t on people, Dave Hughes whose whole schitck is outrage," McGuire said.

"The whole page three (story) is about Dave Hughes' run in."

A band of renegade Magpie fans chanted cruel insults at Geelong champ Gary Ablett about his fallen father using the words "Your dad is a murderer".

Geelong president Frank Costa has delivered a blunt message to the new Gold Coast team - keep your hands off Gary Ablett.

Geelong champion Gary Ablett is the confirmed No. 1 target of the Gold Coast team.

Football director Graeme Downie made the bold claim after the club was awarded the 17th AFL licence yesterday, which came as a complete surprise to some media.

Ablett, Lance Franklin and Nick Riewoldt, who come out of contract at the end of 2010, are firmly in the Gold Coast's sights.

Under the AFL's list building concessions, the club can sign one uncontracted player from each of the 16 clubs.

Gary Ablett explains his emotions after the 2008 Grand Final.

"I've been asked a lot since last year's Grand Final about why I got so emotional in the moments after the final siren," Ablett says.

"My answer is simple. Playing in a grand final is why we play footy. Footballers play the game so that we can win premierships."

Geelong's best player Gary Ablett is going forward and coach Mark Thompson is not going anywhere.

Ablett is set to become a more prominent player in the forward line, instead of resting on the bench after his midfield stint.

Thompson, who was courted by Essendon in the lead-up to the 2007 premiership, has told the Herald Sun he wants another contract at Geelong.