Ablett to lace up the boots in Far North Queensland

DUAL Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett Jnr will make a reappearance to the football field next month when running out for the second time in as many years.

Ablett, with his remarkable record reflecting his position as one of the greatest to play AFL, will lace up the boots in Far North Queensland after taking up the opportunity with the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs.

He’ll line up for the club on 6 May, the Bulldogs’ round four clash against North Cairns.

Sam Blease, who played 34 AFL games across his career at Melbourne and Geelong, is the GM of footy at Trinity Beach and masterminded the plan to get Ablett to the club.

“I surprised myself a little bit actually,” Blease said on SEN’s The Run Home.

“With our good friend Pickers [Liam Pickering] from SEN and Gary’s business partner in Sean Tobin, we were able to put it together.

“It’s great for the Cairns community and footy as a whole in what is not notoriously an AFL state in Queensland. It was really good.

“I got to catch up with Gary this morning, we went over a couple of things down at Torquay at a little cafe down there.

“You’ve sort of got to pinch yourself at times.”

Ablett featured for Palmerston in the NTFL last year, his first game since retiring after the 2020 grand final.

However, the little master’s return was cut short by a calf injury in the second term.

But Blease suggested Ablett is keen to put his best foot forward in what might be the 38-year-old’s last run around on a footy field.

“He’s looking pretty good. I think he pulled up a little bit sore after his gig in Palmerston, he assures me he’s got a couple of weeks training up his sleeve before he comes up to far north Queensland and we host him for a couple of days,” Blease said.

“We’re looking forward to it and he’s going to get a great asset for the community as a whole to give back.

“This might be the last game he ever plays, so we are fortunate to have him.”

Ablett finished his storied AFL career with a grand final loss in 2020 to Richmond after returning to Geelong in the twilight of his career.

He played 357 AFL games for two premierships, eight All-Australians, six best and fairests on top of his Brownlow Medals.

– BY SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN