Gary Ablett Sr. (born 1 October 1961), is a former professional
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who represented and in the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL). Nicknamed "God", Ablett is widely regarded as one of Australian football's greatest players,
and was especially renowned for his high-flying
spectacular mark
A spectacular mark (also known as a specky, speckie, speccy, screamer or hanger) is a mark (or catch) in Australian rules football that typically involves a player jumping up on the back of another player.
The spectacular mark has become a much ...
s and his prolific goalkicking.
[
After playing for several country teams in and around his hometown of ]Drouin, Victoria
Drouin is a town in the West Gippsland region, east of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Its local government area is the Shire of Baw Baw, and is home to the shire council’s headquarters despite being the second-largest town in ...
, Ablett was recruited by Hawthorn and made his Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL) debut in 1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
. However, he struggled to adjust to city life and retreated to Myrtleford
Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia, 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 46 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 2016 the town had a po ...
the following year. The Geelong Football Club managed to lure him back to professional football in 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, and by the late '80s, he had become one of the VFL's biggest stars. His 1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual grand final ...
appearance, during which he kicked a grand final record nine goals for a losing side (and tying the outright grand final record with Gordon Coventry
Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Accorded "Legend" status in the Australian Footb ...
), is regarded as one of football's greatest individual performances, earning him the Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...
. At the beginning of the 1991 season
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...
, Ablett shocked the football world by abruptly announcing his retirement from the game, but he made a comeback midway through the year. He went on to appear in the 1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, and 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
grand finals, before officially retiring after the 1996 season.
Ablett's individual accolades and achievements include an induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
, an AFL Team of the Century
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
selection, the 1993 AFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association (AFL PA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players.
The AFL PA promotes and protects its membe ...
MVP award (now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was st ...
), and three Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...
s. He remains Geelong's all-time leading goalkicker, with 1021 goals; and, in 2006, was voted by past and present Geelong Football Club players as the greatest Geelong footballer of all time.["Ablett named greatest Cat"]
abc.net.au, 11 June 2006; accessed 6 October 2007.
Early life
Born in Drouin Drouin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* André Drouin (c. 1947 – 2017), Canadian politician
* Claude Drouin (born 1956), Canadian politician
* Derek Drouin (born 1990), Canadian high jumper
* Francis Drouin (born 1983), Ca ...
to Alfred and Colleen Ablett, Gary Ablett grew up in Gippsland
Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...
, Victoria, alongside his four elder brothers and three sisters.[ Ablett displayed a love for sport at an early age, winning the state school high jump at 10 years of age. He was also awarded both club and competition best-and-fairest awards for Drouin at the under-11s, under-12s and under-14s levels.][
After his interest waned in attending school, Ablett dropped out of high school at 15 to become a bricklayer's labourer. He also began to concentrate on his football and joined his brothers in the Drouin senior team at just 16 years of age. After appearing in several country league representative games, the ]Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
, which had already signed Gary's elder brothers Geoff and Kevin onto their lists, invited him to play reserves football.[
]
Career
AFL
The Hawthorn experience (1981–1983)
After signing a reserves contract and featuring in six reserves games for Hawthorn, Ablett retreated back to his home in Drouin. He returned to Hawthorn in 1982 and made his senior VFL debut versus Geelong in Round 2, kicking 1 goal and helping the Hawks defeat the Cats by 19 points. He played a further five games for Hawthorn that year for a total of six games and ten goals. Ablett claimed difficulty coping with city life in Melbourne and his continual absenteeism from training sessions forced Hawthorn coach, Allan Jeans into parting ways with the talented, but wayward young half forward.
In 1983, he moved with his young family to the country town of Myrtleford
Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia, 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 46 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 2016 the town had a po ...
.[ Ablett spent the year playing under the tutelage of his cousin ]Len Ablett
Leonard George Ablett (10 May 1916 – 19 December 2006) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the VFL during the early 1940s.
Ablett joined Richmond from the Victorian town of Myrtleford. He came off the bench as a ...
for Myrtleford
Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia, 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 46 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 2016 the town had a po ...
in the Ovens and Murray Football League
The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Austral ...
. Ablett's footballing ability soon came on notice again, this time to the Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...
and their long-time recruiting officer Bill McMaster
Cyril "Bill" McMaster (born 30 January 1930) is a former Australian rules footballer and a coach in the Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of ...
. McMaster convinced Ablett to give the game another shot, this time in the confines of the rural city of Geelong
The City of Geelong was a local government area about southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1849 until 1993.
History
Geelong was the second municipality in Victoria, ...
. After protracted negotiations with Hawthorn, Geelong finally paid a $60,000 transfer for Ablett in 1984.[
]
The early years at Geelong (1984–1988)
Ablett signed a one-year contract for the 1984 season with Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
, and he began his first season under the guidance of Tom Hafey
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
. He debuted for the Cats in Round 7 and after just nine games on the wing, Ablett was selected to his first State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
game for Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
.[ Ablett earned best-on-ground honours after kicking 8 goals from the half-forward flank.][ He played 15 games and kicked 33 goals in the 1984 season, and was awarded the ]Carji Greeves Medal
The Carji Greeves Medal is a name given in recent decades to an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) adjudged best and fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season.
The voting system has changed a number of times. ...
as the Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...
's "best and fairest
In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
" player of the year. Following his first season with Geelong, Ablett signed a new three-year contract with the club.[
Playing mostly on the half forward flank, Ablett won the club's goalkicking award for the following two seasons with 82 and 65 goals respectively.][ Although Ablett had developed a reputation for his laconic, lazy attitude to training under coach John Devine, this did not prevent him from earning top three placings in the best and fairest awards from 1985 to 1987.
With his contract expiring at the conclusion of the 1987 season, Ablett shocked the VFL by signing a new five-year contract with his former club, Hawthorn. After a "cooling-off" period, however, Ablett opted to remain with Geelong by agreeing to a lucrative five-year contract that tied him to the club for the long-term.][Piesse, K, "Ablett: The Gary Ablett Story", Wilkinson Books, Melbourne, 1994, pp. xx, 82, 134, 138]
Ablett began the 1988 season with 59 goals after just 11 games, placing him second on the goalkicking list behind Hawthorn's Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall (born 14 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Dunstall is arguably the greatest Australian rules footballer to come from ...
. In these games, he kicked 10 goals against Richmond in the Anzac Day
, image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg
, caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary.
, observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...
game, and 11 against Brisbane—one shy of breaking the ground record of 12 goals at Carrara. Although he missed out on State honours and failed to place within the top three in the club best and fairest award, Ablett finished with 82 goals during the season for the second time in his career.
A September to remember (1989–1990)
The 1989 season was marked by the arrival of Ablett's third coach, former North Melbourne Brownlow Medallist Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian Nati ...
. Ablett helped the Cats reach the finals on the back of a ten match winning streak to end the regular season. In a 134-point victory against Richmond, Ablett scored 14 goals, breaking a 22-year club record, and moving club legend and former club premiership coach Bobby Davis to laud Ablett as the equal of the legendary Graham 'Polly' Farmer
Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...
,[ the finest footballers he had seen at Geelong. His season lowlight occurred in Round 12 when he was suspended for 3 matches after he controversially felled the Melbourne captain, Gary Lyon behind the play.
In his first ever final, the Qualifying Final at the MCG versus Essendon, Gary Ablett kicked three goals, but this was not enough. The Bombers humbled Geelong by 76 points to force the Cats into a sudden-death Semi Final showdown with Melbourne. The Cats posted a 63-point win against the Demons. Ablett kicked seven goals, and helped set up another meeting with Essendon in the Preliminary Final. Ablett kicked 8 goals this time, as the Cats crushed Essendon by 94 points to advance to their first grand final since 1967.][
Against the reigning premiers Hawthorn in the ]1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual grand final ...
, Ablett asserted himself from the opening bounce, leading out from full forward, marking the first centre clearance kick and slotting through the game's first goal. By half-time, Ablett had kicked four goals, but the Cats trailed at the main break by 37 points. Ablett kicked a further five goals in the second half, which saw an injury-depleted Hawthorn's lead reduced to just 6 points with less than a minute to go. However, the Cats fell short, and Hawthorn held on to defeat Geelong in one of the toughest grand finals of the modern era, winning by 6 points. Ablett's performance in kicking 9 goals earned him the Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...
, and in doing so became only the second member of the losing team in VFL/AFL history to be awarded the honour – a performance regarded by many as unrivalled on football's biggest stage. Ablett's 9 goals also saw him equal Gordon Coventry's goals record set in the 1928 Grand Final.
Shock retirement and return (1991–1992)
On 1 February 1991, Ablett, aged 29, stunned most football fans when he announced his retirement, citing personal reasons and a loss of enjoyment for the game. His previous season in 1990 was marred by injury, dipping motivation, and personal issues, including a separation from his wife. He was eventually encouraged to reverse his decision and he made his return in Round 12 for the Geelong reserves team. This generated enormous media interest and drew an abnormally large crowd for the curtain-raiser game at Princes Park.
Ablett was named in the senior side for the following game against , which drew a crowd of over 40,000 to the MCG.[ He had ten possessions and kicked two goals, one of them an important steadier for the Cats in the last quarter after the Demons had closed to within 24 points. Due to his late season start and lack of conditioning, it was probably no surprise that Ablett failed to recapture his best form, ending his season on a sour note when he was suspended for striking St Kilda rover ]Nathan Burke
Nathan Burke (born 6 February 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the team in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).
A tough rover he is considered the most courageous footballers to play for the St Kilda Footb ...
in the first week of the finals, and he subsequently missed Geelong's finals defeats to Hawthorn and West Coast.
Ablett put the disappointment of 1991 behind him, and he dedicated himself to improving his fitness base ahead of the 1992 season. A consistent first half of the year helped the Cats achieve an 11–3 record, eventually earning them a spot in the grand final—this time against the West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...
. After establishing a two-goal lead at half-time, the Cats failed to sustain their momentum during the second half, eventually going down by 28 points to the fast-finishing Eagles. Ablett, who finished with 3 goals, had again failed to finish the year with the same good form in which he had begun it.
One special season (1993)
Before the 1993 season, Ablett was encouraged by his coach, Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian Nati ...
, to move from his customary roaming half-forward position to full-forward, in an effort to prolong his career. The move up forward proved to be a master-stroke, with Ablett thriving in his goal-kicking role, reaching the 50-goal mark in just six games, equalling the sixty-year record of South Melbourne legend Bob Pratt
Harold Robert Pratt Sr. (31 August 1912 – 6 January 2001) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Asso ...
. He brought up his maiden century of goals in the season just eight games later, one game slower than record-holder Pratt, and became the first Geelong player to kick 100 goals in a season since Larry Donohue
Larry Donohue (born 22 April 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club from 1973 to 1980, playing 105 games kicking 339 goals. He was recruited from the Thomson Football Club. He won the Coleman Me ...
in 1976. Although the Cats did not make the Finals, Ablett's new-found dominance up forward was highlighted during the season with his bags of ten or more goals on five occasions, including a 14-goal performance against Essendon in Round 6. His end-of-season total of 124 goals, achieved in just 17 appearances, earned him his first Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...
as the League's leading goal-scorer, the Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was st ...
, the AFMA Player of the Year Award, and a top-ten placing in the Brownlow Medal.
1993 to 1996
Ablett continued his dominance as a full-forward in 1994 and 1995 by winning the Coleman Medal in each year. Ablett is the only player in VFL/AFL history to kick 100 goals and win the Coleman Medal in three successive seasons. In addition to his explosive pace and skills, Ablett was also an accomplished aerialist with strong hands. A highlight was the 1994 Mark of the Year
The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchin ...
over Collingwood's Gary Pert
Gary Pert (born 28 May 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tall, well-built and strong in the air, Pert played over 200 league games, despite suffering two serious knee in ...
on Mother's Day at the MCG, a mark which is captured in Jamie Cooper
Jamie Cooper (born 14 June 1964) is an Australian painter and former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.
As a footballer, Cooper was recruited from Surrey Hills, Victoria. He made his senior VFL debut with the Fitzro ...
's painting ''the Game That Made Australia'', commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport. There is still debate over whether he had enough control of the ball to be paid a mark.
In early 1996, Ablett was suspended for five games for striking St Kilda's 172 cm Kristian Bardsley with a raised forearm. He later remarked that his lengthy suspension was the "beginning of the end", and he finished out the season with 69 goals in 17 games. His last AFL appearance was against North Melbourne in a Qualifying Final in 1996. Ablett managed to kick only one goal in a disappointing 60-point loss. In October 1996, he missed Geelong's first training session and was fined $10,000.
On 22 November 1996, Ablett was admitted to hospital with a severe bout of gastro. On 28 November, Ablett faced traffic charges.
1997, end of career
Ablett was ready to start the serious training with the club by the first week of January. By February, it was reported that he was still under pressure to improve his fitness. In March, Geelong confirmed that Ablett would play in 1997. On Sunday, 31 March 1997, Ablett played in the reserves against Richmond. Gary booted 7 goals but injured his knee. Three days later, on 3 April, he underwent arthroscopic surgery. In early June, Ablett had still not recovered; he faced knee surgery. During the preliminary finals in September, he announced his retirement from football.
State of Origin
Ablett had a prolific State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
career, kicking 43 goals in 11 games. He was first selected to play for Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
in 1984, against Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, only nine games into his career at Geelong, kicking 8 goals in a best-on-ground performance.
He performed well again the following year, kicking 4 goals against South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. In the following few years Ablett was largely out of the side, apart from 1987, when he kicked 2 goals against South Australia. Ablett again performed at the highest level in 1990, kicking 6 goals, against Western Australia in Perth. After returning from retirement midway through 1991, and after only several games, Ablett was controversially selected for Victoria, kicking 2 goals. In 1992 Ablett performed well, kicking 3 goals and being named among the best players, against Western Australia.
In 1993, he kicked 4 goals, against a combined New South Wales–Australian Capital Territory side, and in the same year Ablett again performed on the big stage, kicking 5 goals in the State of Origin Carnival Grand Final. In 1994, he kicked 4 goals, against South Australia, in what has been regarded as "one of the greatest Australian football games of all time" and followed up that performance with 4 goals against South Australia in 1995. On representing Victoria, Ablett has said "I've always found it a tremendous honour to represent your state, in a State of Origin game".
Legacy
Ablett combined strength, speed, and skill to produce many spectacular highlights and goal-kicking feats. A noted big game player, Ablett kicked 43 goals in 11 State appearances. More significantly, he booted 64 goals over the course of his 16 finals – an average of four goals a game.[ His individual haul of 27 goals in the 1989 finals series from four games is a VFL/AFL record that still stands. He was awarded the ]Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...
for his performance in the 1989 Grand Final, where he was adjudged best player afield. In doing so, he became one of only four players to win the medal playing for the losing side (the others being Maurice Rioli
Maurice Joseph Rioli Sr. (1 September 195725 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and in th ...
in 1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, Nathan Buckley
Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator.
He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising St ...
in 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, and Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
in 2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
). In 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, Ablett joined Gordon Coventry
Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Accorded "Legend" status in the Australian Footb ...
, Doug Wade
Douglas Graeme Wade (born 16 October 1941) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
He was the League's leading goal scorer (winn ...
, Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall (born 14 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Dunstall is arguably the greatest Australian rules footballer to come from ...
, and Tony Lockett
Anthony Howard Lockett (born 9 March 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "Plugger", he is considered one of the greatest f ...
as the only players in league history to kick 1000 VFL/AFL goals. Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin (born 30 January 1987), also known as Buddy Franklin, is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 20 ...
would join this exclusive club in 2022.
Martin Flanagan's representation of Australian football pioneer Tom Wills
Thomas Wentworth Wills (19 August 1835 – 2 May 1880) was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being Australia's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football. Born in the British penal colony of New ...
in his 1996 novel '' The Call'' is modeled on Ablett. According to Flanagan, Wills and Ablett polarised opinion in similar ways, and displayed a lack of insight into their actions—they simply did what came naturally to them, "like a lot of artists". Ablett is the subject of the song "Kicking the Footy with God", released by The Bedroom Philosopher
Justin Marcus Heazlewood, the Bedroom Philosopher, is an Australian author, songwriter and performer. He has released several albums of musical comedy, toured Australia extensively, been nominated for an ARIA Award and published books about hi ...
on his 2005 debut album ''In Bed with My Doona
''In Bed With My Doona'' is the second album by Australian comedian/musician The Bedroom Philosopher and is a reference to the Madonna film '' Madonna: Truth or Dare'' which was known in some countries as ''In Bed with Madonna''. It was releas ...
''.
In 1996, Ablett was named in the AFL Team of the Century
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
on the interchange bench, alongside Jack Dyer
John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003), nicknamed Captain Blood, was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1931 and 1949. One of the ga ...
and Greg Williams. In 2001, Ablett was named in the Geelong Team of the Century, on a half-forward flank. In 2005, after many years of controversy and debate (see below), he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
. The following year, he was honoured yet again when he was voted as the Greatest Geelong player of all-time ahead of Graham Farmer
Graham Vivian "Polly" Farmer (10 March 1935 14 August 2019) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the East Perth Football Club and West Perth Football Club in th ...
.
In 2006, Ablett was honoured with the naming of a terrace in his name within the newly renovated Skilled Stadium. Ablett once had a set of gates named in his honour, but he was upgraded to a terrace at the beginning of the 2006 AFL season
The 2006 AFL season was the 110th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured si ...
.[Ralph, ]
"Wade takes a stand on Ablett attack"
'The Herald Sun', 7 December 2007; accessed 25 May 2009
Induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
Despite his footballing achievements on the field, Ablett's induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
was initially delayed. Despite Ablett's undoubted footballing credentials, his well-publicised contribution to the death of Alisha Horan was responsible for the Australian Football Hall of Fame committee's reluctance to induct him. In 2004, after several years of speculation over his induction, Ablett personally requested that the Geelong Football Club stop nominating him for selection, which the club agreed to. However, the following year it was announced that Ablett would be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2005 intake.
Ablett did not attend the induction ceremony and instead released a statement through his then-manager, Michael Baker:
"Due to my current battle with depression I am not in a position to be able to accept this award in person. I did not make this decision lightly but due to medical advice it was deemed best for my health that I do not attend tonight. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to play this great game and also to have played at the elite level alongside many celebrated champions. Being chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is one of the highest honours a player could dream of. I thank those who deem me worthy enough to be placed alongside such respected company."
Personal life
The youngest of eight children, Ablett grew up alongside four elder brothers and three elder sisters. In 1985, Ablett wed his long-time girlfriend Sue, and the couple had four children – Natasha, Gary Jr., Nathan
Nathan or Natan may refer to:
People
*Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
*Nathan (surname)
*Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible
* Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...
, and Alisha.[
In 1986, Ablett became a ]born-again Christian
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
and has been said to be slightly aggrieved at constantly being referred to as "God" by fans, a nickname based on his supreme football abilities.[ Ablett's faith was often highlighted in several tribunal appearances, in one case confessing and pleading guilty to striking ]Garry Lyon
Garry Peter Lyon (born 13 September 1967) is a former professional Australian rules football player and was captain of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Since his retirement from football, he has been mai ...
in a 1989 incident, declaring he "wasn't prepared to lie about it or compromise the truth in isrelationship with God".[ Ablett's public acknowledgement of his faith, in particular the influence of God in his life, during his acceptance speech for the Norm Smith Medal in the 1989 Grand Final, was also much publicised.][
On 26 June 2006, Ablett was allegedly assaulted at 11:15pm while browsing through a car yard in Fyans Street, ]South Geelong
South Geelong, also referred to as Geelong South, is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2016 census, South Geelong had a population of 993.
The suburb is adj ...
. A 31-year-old Geelong man was charged with the assault. However, he was reported to have committed suicide on 10 July 2006 by jumping from a Melbourne high-rise apartment block the day before he was due to appear before the Geelong Magistrates court to defend the assault charges.
In December 2007, Ablett hit back at media claims that his son Nathan had walked away from his football career because of the publicity surrounding the release of a new book about his father. Although normally reluctant to make public comments, Ablett felt that the media intrusion into his family life had gone too far. As part of a series of books, ''Legends of Australian Sport'', Ablett contributed to a book regarding himself. It was the first time he revealed intimate details regarding his life publicly.
In September 2020, Ablett released a 27-minute YouTube video discussing his belief in the rapture
The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...
as being forthcoming. In this video, he declared that the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
had been manufactured and released by the Illuminati
The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...
and Freemasons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
in order to depopulate Earth, create a cashless society
In a cashless society, financial transactions are not conducted with physical banknotes or coins, but instead with digital information (usually an electronic representation of money). Cashless societies have existed from the time when human so ...
and "put Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...
on the throne of the world".
A footballing family
Two of Ablett's brothers played in the Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
– Kevin Ablett
Kevin Ablett (born 26 March 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn, Richmond and Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Sources
*Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Football ...
, who played for Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
, Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and Geelong, and Geoff Ablett
Geoff Ablett (born 13 March 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Ablett spent the majority of his career with Hawthorn, playing 202 games on the wing. Ablet ...
, who played for Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
, Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and St Kilda.
Ablett's eldest son, Gary Jr., has followed in his footsteps to play for Geelong. In 2007 and 2009, Ablett Jr. won the Cats' best and fairest award, emulating a feat established by his father in his first season with the Cats back in 1984; he also won the Brownlow Medal in 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
. Another son, Nathan
Nathan or Natan may refer to:
People
*Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name
*Nathan (surname)
*Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible
* Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...
, was drafted in 2004 (48th pick) by Geelong under the father-son rule. Nathan initially refused to play AFL Football because of his father's experience with the media, but, with encouragement from the club, was signed ahead of the 2005 AFL Season and established himself in the full forward role Gary Sr. made his own.
On 29 September 2007, both Gary Jr. and Nathan contributed to Geelong winning its first flag in 44 years, capturing the premiership that proved elusive to Gary Snr in his 12 years at the club. Nathan retired suddenly before the 2008 season, but he and his brother Gary Jr. were members of the Gold Coast Football Club
The Gold Coast Suns is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club is based on Queensland's Gold Coast in the suburb of Carrara.
The club has been playing in the AFL since th ...
's inaugural team for the 2011 season.
In addition to his sons, Ablett has a nephew, Luke Ablett, who played for the Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
and won a premiership with them in 2005. Two other nephews, from his sister's marriage to Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck (born 24 June 1953) is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL).
His 426 career games was a VFL/ ...
, also played in the AFL – Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
's Shane Tuck
Shane Tuck (24 December 198120 July 2020) was an Australian rules footballer who played 173 matches for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) after also spending two years on the AFL list at Hawthorn without makin ...
and Travis Tuck
Travis Tuck (born 7 September 1987) is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. Tuck was selected with a father–son selection (pick 38) in the 2005 AFL Draft.
...
, who played for Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
.
Criminal offences
Ablett had well-documented off-field problems, particularly with illegal drug use, and depression in the wake of the Alisha Horan death. In 1990, Ablett was placed on a $10,000 good behaviour bond after he pleaded guilty to repeatedly hitting a man he found sitting in a car with his estranged wife.
In 2000, Ablett was investigated, charged and convicted of four drug offences as a result of nineteen-year-old Geelong woman Alisha Horan dying of a drug overdose (involving heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
, ecstasy and amphetamines
Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...
) while in Ablett's hotel room. After a prolonged period of refusing to answer police questions and refusing to answer questions at an April 2001 inquest (on the grounds that he may incriminate himself), Ablett later admitted to providing Horan with heroin and ecstasy. Horan had found a small quantity of heroin in Ablett's coat pocket and asked him what it was. Rather than admit that it was heroin, Ablett told her it was cocaine, which they both then ingested, leading to Horan's overdose. Ablett wasn't charged with manslaughter, but he pleaded guilty to four lesser charges, was convicted, and fined $1500.
Statistics
In 2019, a sharp-eyed "footy history enthusiast" by the name of Stephen Wade noticed a statistical discrepancy while watching a YouTube video of a 1982 game that had been uploaded in 2017. He found a discrepancy with the goal total, as he saw Ablett kick two but was only credited for one. Wade brought his discovery to the attention of Col Hutchinson
Colin Hutchinson (born c. 1943) is a veteran statistician, most notably in the Victorian/Australian Football League in the sport of Australian rules football. He was the AFL's official historian from the 1990s until around 2005.
A part of the AF ...
, the AFL's statistics and history consultant, who updated the official records. The goal, which had been erroneously attributed to Hawthorn teammate Richard Loveridge
Richard Loveridge (born 15 January 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1980s.
Playing as a rover who was handy near goals, Loveridge was a regular member of th ...
for 37 years, increased Ablett's total goal tally from 1,030 to 1,031.
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 35 , , 6 , , 11 , , 13 , , 47 , , 21 , , 68 , , 26 , , , , 1.5 , , 2.2 , , 7.8 , , 3.5 , , 11.3 , , 4.3 , ,
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 15 , , 33 , , 28 , , 238 , , 61 , , 299 , , 86 , , , , 2.2 , , 1.9 , , 15.9 , , 4.1 , , 19.9 , , 5.7 , ,
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 20 , , 82 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 67 , , 274 , , 62 , , 336 , , 135 , , , , 4.1 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.4 , , 13.7 , , 3.1 , , 16.8 , , 6.8 , ,
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 15 , , 65 , , 49 , , 185 , , 39 , , 224 , , 101 , , , , 4.3 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.3 , , 12.3 , , 2.6 , , 14.9 , , 6.7 , ,
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 17 , , 53 , , 38 , , 200 , , 46 , , 246 , , 86 , , 19 , , 3.1 , , 2.2 , , 11.8 , , 2.7 , , 14.5 , , 5.1 , , 1.1
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 21 , , 82 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 62 , , 253 , , 42 , , 295 , , 117 , , 19 , , 3.9 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.0 , , 12.0 , , 2.0 , , 14.0 , , 5.6 , , 0.9
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 23 , , 87 , , 54 , , 378 , , 68 , , 446 , , 151 , , 29 , , 3.8 , , 2.3 , , 16.4 , , 3.0 , , 19.4 , , 6.6 , , 1.3
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 17 , , 75 , , 43 , , 224 , , 47 , , 271 , , 100 , , 21 , , 4.4 , , 2.5 , , 13.2 , , 2.8 , , 15.9 , , 5.9 , , 1.2
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 12 , , 28 , , 27 , , 144 , , 21 , , 165 , , 55 , , 20 , , 2.3 , , 2.3 , , 12.0 , , 1.8 , , 13.8 , , 4.6 , , 1.7
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 21 , , 72 , , 54 , , 324 , , 61 , , 385 , , 118 , , 33 , , 3.4 , , 2.6 , , 15.4 , , 2.9 , , 18.3 , , 5.6 , , 1.6
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 17 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 124 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 60 , , 233 , , 13 , , 246 , , 111 , , 10 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 7.3 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.5 , , 13.7 , , 0.8 , , 14.5 , , 6.5 , , 0.6
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 25 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 129 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 79 , , 263 , , 30 , , 293 , , 130 , , 15 , , 5.2 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.2 , , 10.5 , , 1.2 , , 11.7 , , 5.2 , , 0.6
, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 22 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 122 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 85 , , 264 , , 19 , , 283 , , 148 , , 18 , , bgcolor="CFECEC", 5.5 , , bgcolor="DD6E81", 3.9 , , 12.0 , , 0.9 , , 12.9 , , 6.7 , , 0.8
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , 17 , , 69 , , 31 , , 159 , , 31 , , 190 , , 71 , , 13 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , 9.4 , , 1.8 , , 11.2 , , 4.2 , , 0.8
, -
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, style="text-align:center;",
, 5 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , -
, - class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3, Career
! 248
! 1031
! 690
! 3186
! 561
! 3747
! 1435
! 197
! 4.2
! 2.8
! 12.8
! 2.3
! 15.1
! 5.8
! 1.0
, - class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3, Career
! 248
! 1031
! 690
! 3186
! 561
! 3747
! 1435
! 197
! 4.2
! 2.8
! 12.8
! 2.3
! 15.1
! 5.8
! 1.0
Honours and achievements
Team
* McClelland Trophy
The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...
(): 1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
Individual
* Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...
: 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
* 3× Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...
: 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
* 4× All-Australian team
The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...
: 1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
* Carji Greeves Medal
The Carji Greeves Medal is a name given in recent decades to an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) adjudged best and fairest for the Geelong Football Club for the season.
The voting system has changed a number of times. ...
: 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
* Leigh Matthews Trophy (AFL MVP Award): 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
* 9× Geelong leading goalkicker: 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
, 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, 1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, 1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
* Geelong Team of the Century
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...
* Geelong captain: 1995–1996
* 2× Alex Jesaulenko Medal
The Alex Jesaulenko Medal refers to three unrelated medals in Australian rules football, all named in honour of Alex Jesaulenko, a legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. The medals are currently awarded annually to the best player in the ...
: 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, 1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
* Geelong F.C. Hall of Fame
* Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
: 2000
* Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
: 2001
* Australian Football League Team of the Century 1897-1996
* VFL/AFL
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
players with 1,000 goals
* 8× State of Origin
A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...
(Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
): 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 (c)
* Australian Football Media Association Player of the Year: 1993
*Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
: 2005 Inductee
*5th on all-time leading goal-kickers
*All-time leading goal kicker for Geelong F.C. (1021 goals)
*Only player to have won Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...
and kicked 100 goals in three consecutive seasons (1993–1995)
*Oldest player to kick 100 goals in a season (33 years old in 1995)
*Most goals in an AFL/VFL Grand Final (9 goals in 1989 Grand Final)
*Most goals in an AFL/VFL finals series (27 goals in 1989)
*Highest goals-per-game ratio in Geelong F.C. history (4.22 goals per game)
*4-time runner-up in Carji Greeves Medal (1985, 1993, 1994, 1995)
*3-time third-place getter in Carji Greeves Medal (1986, 1989, 1990)
See also
*After the siren kicks in Australian rules football
In Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before the siren sounds to end a quarter, and the siren sounds before the player takes a set shot, the player is allowed to take the kick after the siren. Often, th ...
* Alf Williamson
Alfred Williamson (6 October 1893 – 11 April 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family
He was born in Toongabbie, to Reuben an ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
Gary Ablett's profile
at AustralianFootball.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ablett, Gary Sr.
1961 births
Gary
All-Australians (AFL)
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
Carji Greeves Medal winners
Coleman Medal winners
Geelong Football Club players
Hawthorn Football Club players
Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
Living people
Norm Smith Medal winners
Australian rules footballers from Geelong
Victorian State of Origin players
Myrtleford Football Club players
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Australian Christians