Gary Ablett Jr.

Gary Ablett Jr. (born 14 May 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The eldest son of Australian Football Hall of Fame member and former Hawthorn and Geelong player Gary Ablett Sr.., Ablett was drafted to Geelong under the father–son rule in the 2001 national draft and has since become recognised as one of the all-time great midfielders.

Ablett is a dual premiership player, dual Brownlow Medallist, five-time Leigh Matthews Trophy winner, three-time AFLCA champion player of the year award winner and eight-time All-Australian.

Ablett played junior football with the Modewarre Football Club until he was chosen to play for the Geelong Falcons in the under–18 TAC Cup competition for the 2001 season.

Ablett's selection was met with controversy, as some families of other prospective junior players felt Ablett was chosen on the basis of his famous family heritage rather than footballing merit.

However, the Falcons' football manager Mick Turner repeatedly dismissed speculation.

Nonetheless, as the son of a popular and famous football player from Geelong, Ablett attracted a large following even at junior level.

Although he was still a bottom-aged player, Ablett received mid-year State honours for Victoria Country during the 2001 National Championships.

After spending one year in the TAC Cup, Ablett entered his name into the 2001 AFL draft at the conclusion of the 2001 season.

Ablett was drafted by with their fifth selection, and was the fortieth overall draft pick in the 2001 AFL draft under the father–son rule.

Ablett made his senior debut for the club in the opening round of the 2002 AFL season, where he gathered 8 disposals and took 4 marks.

Ablett made twelve senior appearances in total during the season, before spending the latter half of the year with the reserves team.

Playing as a small forward, he helped the club's reserves team win the 2002 VFL premiership against Port Melbourne.

After achieving premiership success with the reserves team in the previous year, Ablett established his position in the senior side the following season.

Ablett alternated as a small forward and midfielder, scoring 26 goals and appearing in all of Geelong's senior fixtures during the 2003 AFL season.

In round 2 in a loss against North Melbourne he received his first Brownlow vote, in a performance in which he registered 22 disposals and a goal.

Ablett finished the year ranked first at the club for tackles (77) and inside 50s (89), as well as second for hard-ball gets (65).

Following another season without participation in the finals series, Ablett and his teammates began their 2004 campaign with an appearance in the pre-season competition final against.

Geelong would qualify for its first finals series in four years, being eliminated in the preliminary final by the.

Ablett made 21 appearances in total over the course of the season, and kicked a career-high 35 goals.

He once again finished the year ranked first within the club for total tackles (93), and was awarded the club's Best Team and Most Constructive Player award at the end of the season.

The following year, Geelong again qualified for the finals series, progressing through to the semi-finals, before a three-point loss to ended their season.

Ablett's consistency, reflected with his appearance in all senior games during the year and team-high 86 tackles, was rewarded with a third-place finishing in the Carji Greeves Medal as the club's best and fairest player.

After consecutive appearances in the finals series, Ablett and Geelong were expected to challenge for the premiership once again in 2006.

The club's 2006 campaign began successfully when they captured the pre-season NAB Cup, winning their first pre-season premiership since 1961.

After playing his first five seasons as a small forward who occasionally pushed up the ground, Ablett made a permanent move to the midfield in 2007.

He helped the Cats finish the home-and-away season first on the ladder to win the McClelland Trophy and qualify for the finals series.

Geelong progressed through to the 2007 AFL Grand Final, in which they defeated by a record 119 points to win their first premiership since 1963.

During his first stint at Geelong, Ablett won two premierships, two Carji Greeves Medals, a Geelong leading goalkicker award and the 2009 Brownlow Medal.

He is also a life member of the club and has been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.

During the season, Ablett kicked a career-high six goals against in round twelve, before making his 100th senior appearance for the club in round 22 against.

However, the Cats only managed to win 10 games throughout the season and did not qualify for the finals series.

Ablett finished the season with 35 goals to win the club's leading goalkicker award and once again place third in the Carji Greeves Medal.

At Gold Coast, Ablett was the club's inaugural captain, holding the role for the club's first six seasons, and won four Gold Coast Suns Club Champion awards (including the first three in the club's history), two Gold Coast leading goalkicker awards and the 2013 Brownlow Medal, the first Brownlow Medal in the club's history.

Between 2014 and 2018, Ablett suffered a number of setbacks through injury; despite this, Ablett played 357 games, the thirteenth-most in VFL/AFL history at the time.

Gary Ablett Jr. was born to Gary and Sue Ablett in the country town of Modewarre, outside the regional centre of Geelong, Victoria.

As the eldest boy among four siblings, Ablett's childhood coincided with the peak of his father's footballing career.

Along with his brother Nathan, Ablett would regularly attend his father's training sessions and weekly games.

Geelong players regarded them as "barefooted pests in the rooms", and would often engage in kick-to-kick sessions with both of the boys.

He attended Christian College Geelong during his schooling years.