Tweet
Coping with being an Ablett
By Nikki Tugwell
March 26, 2004
THE Luke Ablett story doesn't have much to do with his uncle. Just his uncle's legacy.
There has always been a sense of wanting to see a trace of the man who was to Australian football in the 1990s what Michael Jordan was to basketball, be it a football or personality trait, in Gary junior at Geelong and Luke at Sydney.
The football public's fascination with the Ablett name and bloodline ceases to wane. That the mystique has perpetuated a generation doesn't bother Ablett, 21, so much. It's more that, having been drafted in 2000 with Sydney's No.1 pick, he doesn't want Kournikova-like attention after playing just four senior games in his debut season (2002) and again last year.
"It was a long year," Ablett says of last season, in which he played in the Swans' losses to Adelaide and Hawthorn and found it hard to get back into the winning line-up from rounds five to 22. "But I had to put myself into a position where if I did get the chance, I'd be able to play well and, if an opportunity arose, then I'd get picked."
Ablett is a realist who takes great pride in his craft. His story is uncomplicated. It is about getting a game and establishing himself.
Tomorrow Ablett begins the season in the best way possible, with selection in a nearly full-strength Swans squad to take on premiers Brisbane in the season opener.
It's the first step for Ablett as the Swans gradually transform their midfield which includes Stuart Maxfield and Paul Williams, both in their 30s, and has lost Paul Kelly, Wayne Schwass and Daryn Cresswell.
With a batch of midfielders younger than himself drafted in the off-season, Ablett knows the time to make his mark is nigh.
"I worked really hard last year and again through the pre-season, so I think compared to 12 months ago I'm a much better player from having to work hard to get opportunities," he says.
Ablett's apprenticeship is similar to most draftees.
He moved interstate as a teenager, has spent most of his time in the reserves, has often been named as an emergency for the seniors and has suffered frustration with injuries.
Unlike most other draftees, though, Ablett was greeted by "Nephew Of God" headlines on arrival and the attention which comes with the intrigue of his name.
The thing about Ablett is that football followers would love to see him excel. There is just a strange sense of magic about having a kid called Ablett in the team who can play. It's unfair but well meaning.
Remember when Sydney beat Port Adelaide in last year's qualifying final after being ravaged by injuries? There was a passage of play which encapsulated the Swans that day and demonstrated what finals desperation is all about.
The sight of one of the Swans, who had been elevated to seniors when Ryan O'Keefe joined Jason Ball, Michael O'Loughlin and Jason Saddington on the injury list, scrambling madly across the turf on his knees to deny Port possession.
The same young player marked on the boundary line before three-quarter time against Brisbane in the preliminary final and with all the poise of a veteran went back and slotted it through to give Sydney every chance of doing the unthinkable in the last quarter.
There is this strange feeling which sends shivers down the spine of football followers when they realise it was an Ablett.
The other Swans sense it too.
Take the younger players who grew up idolising the Geelong champion, who are now mates with Luke and pinch themselves that they are playing with an Ablett.
Naturally the intrigue has escorted Gary junior into his career two-fold from day one. Despite their similar experiences, Luke says he hasn't spoken to his interstate cousin Gary junior for some time.
Luke's dad Kevin played 38 matches with Hawthorn, Richmond and Geelong and his brother Geoff was a two-time premiership player with Hawthorn. He also played for Richmond and St Kilda. Their brother Graham played underage football for Hawthorn, the same club where Gary senior began his career.
Last year Gary junior played every match in just his second season at Geelong and was tagged regularly. Some of his exploits were breathtaking and smacked of genius. The question follows the young Cat, will he be as good as his dad?
"It [the pressure of being an Ablett] doesn't really worry me that much now," Luke says.
"When I first came up here to Sydney, it being more low key as well as the whole Ablett thing, it was good to get away from that [compared to Melbourne].
"You can look at it two ways. You can hide a bit up here if things aren't going so well and you don't get the same scrutiny, which can be a good or a bad thing.
"You can do your own thing and not worry so much about outside pressures and stuff.
"It's both good and bad but it's mainly good. To begin with it was a pretty big thing and it was the main subject that was spoken about with me but a lot of the novelty has worn off for a lot of people.
"Now it's pretty much about what I'm doing."
By Nikki Tugwell
March 26, 2004
THE Luke Ablett story doesn't have much to do with his uncle. Just his uncle's legacy.
There has always been a sense of wanting to see a trace of the man who was to Australian football in the 1990s what Michael Jordan was to basketball, be it a football or personality trait, in Gary junior at Geelong and Luke at Sydney.
The football public's fascination with the Ablett name and bloodline ceases to wane. That the mystique has perpetuated a generation doesn't bother Ablett, 21, so much. It's more that, having been drafted in 2000 with Sydney's No.1 pick, he doesn't want Kournikova-like attention after playing just four senior games in his debut season (2002) and again last year.
"It was a long year," Ablett says of last season, in which he played in the Swans' losses to Adelaide and Hawthorn and found it hard to get back into the winning line-up from rounds five to 22. "But I had to put myself into a position where if I did get the chance, I'd be able to play well and, if an opportunity arose, then I'd get picked."
Ablett is a realist who takes great pride in his craft. His story is uncomplicated. It is about getting a game and establishing himself.
Tomorrow Ablett begins the season in the best way possible, with selection in a nearly full-strength Swans squad to take on premiers Brisbane in the season opener.
It's the first step for Ablett as the Swans gradually transform their midfield which includes Stuart Maxfield and Paul Williams, both in their 30s, and has lost Paul Kelly, Wayne Schwass and Daryn Cresswell.
With a batch of midfielders younger than himself drafted in the off-season, Ablett knows the time to make his mark is nigh.
"I worked really hard last year and again through the pre-season, so I think compared to 12 months ago I'm a much better player from having to work hard to get opportunities," he says.
Ablett's apprenticeship is similar to most draftees.
He moved interstate as a teenager, has spent most of his time in the reserves, has often been named as an emergency for the seniors and has suffered frustration with injuries.
Unlike most other draftees, though, Ablett was greeted by "Nephew Of God" headlines on arrival and the attention which comes with the intrigue of his name.
The thing about Ablett is that football followers would love to see him excel. There is just a strange sense of magic about having a kid called Ablett in the team who can play. It's unfair but well meaning.
Remember when Sydney beat Port Adelaide in last year's qualifying final after being ravaged by injuries? There was a passage of play which encapsulated the Swans that day and demonstrated what finals desperation is all about.
The sight of one of the Swans, who had been elevated to seniors when Ryan O'Keefe joined Jason Ball, Michael O'Loughlin and Jason Saddington on the injury list, scrambling madly across the turf on his knees to deny Port possession.
The same young player marked on the boundary line before three-quarter time against Brisbane in the preliminary final and with all the poise of a veteran went back and slotted it through to give Sydney every chance of doing the unthinkable in the last quarter.
There is this strange feeling which sends shivers down the spine of football followers when they realise it was an Ablett.
The other Swans sense it too.
Take the younger players who grew up idolising the Geelong champion, who are now mates with Luke and pinch themselves that they are playing with an Ablett.
Naturally the intrigue has escorted Gary junior into his career two-fold from day one. Despite their similar experiences, Luke says he hasn't spoken to his interstate cousin Gary junior for some time.
Luke's dad Kevin played 38 matches with Hawthorn, Richmond and Geelong and his brother Geoff was a two-time premiership player with Hawthorn. He also played for Richmond and St Kilda. Their brother Graham played underage football for Hawthorn, the same club where Gary senior began his career.
Last year Gary junior played every match in just his second season at Geelong and was tagged regularly. Some of his exploits were breathtaking and smacked of genius. The question follows the young Cat, will he be as good as his dad?
"It [the pressure of being an Ablett] doesn't really worry me that much now," Luke says.
"When I first came up here to Sydney, it being more low key as well as the whole Ablett thing, it was good to get away from that [compared to Melbourne].
"You can look at it two ways. You can hide a bit up here if things aren't going so well and you don't get the same scrutiny, which can be a good or a bad thing.
"You can do your own thing and not worry so much about outside pressures and stuff.
"It's both good and bad but it's mainly good. To begin with it was a pretty big thing and it was the main subject that was spoken about with me but a lot of the novelty has worn off for a lot of people.
"Now it's pretty much about what I'm doing."
Comment