Geelong star Gary Ablett to sign five-year deal with Gold Coast Suns

GARY Ablett says his decision to quit Geelong and sign with AFL newcomers Gold Coast Suns was driven by the need for "a fresh new challenge".

GARY Ablett says his decision to quit Geelong and sign with AFL newcomers Gold Coast Suns was driven by the need for "a fresh new challenge".

After months of rumour, Ablett confirmed he would quit the club with which he won two premierships and a Brownlow Medal to become the game's highest paid player.

His deal is believed to be worth $1.9 million a season until the end of 2015.

Clearly nervous and faltering on several occasions in front of a huge media conference in Melbourne, the 26-year-old described the decision to leave Geelong – with whom his father Gary snr became a footballing legend – as "incredibly difficult."

But he said it was time for "a fresh new challenge", and denied speculation the deal sending Ablett to the Suns for the 2011 season was done months earlier.

"I made the decision yesterday and I feel it's the right decision," Ablett said.

"For those who know me well they know that I thrive on the challenge and perform my best when faced with a new challenge.

"I gave my all for Geelong and will be forever grateful for the support of the Geelong football club and its many great fans.

"But now this is all about the challenge of joining a new team and a new and unique opportunity to be part of something special in football."

The deal from cashed-up Gold Coast is believed to have dwarfed the Cats' contract offer of about $800,000 to $900,000 a year.

Ablett admitted the decision had been playing on his mind for months, but said the final call to join was made after he returned from a four-day break with girlfriend Lauren Phillips on Queensland's Hamilton Island.

"I don't shy away from the fact that the money's attractive, especially for a player at my stage of career," he said.

"Money is a big part of why I've moved, but at the same time it's not the only reason. I'm looking forward to the new challenge. It's a club starting from scratch, and that's something that appealed to me.

Ablett met with Cats chief executive Brian Cook and football manager Neil Balme early today to tell them of his decision to leave.

It is the second blow in 24 hours for Geelong, whose coach Mark Thompson is also considering his future – citing "burnout" after 11 years in the job.

Cook said the Cats could not match the offer the Suns put before Ablett.

"We felt there was a good chance he'd stay given our offer would have made him probably one of the top five paid players in the AFL," Cook told the ABC.

"We've probably been blown out of the water. Our offer's probably been doubled by the Gold Coast which has made it pretty much impossible for us to keep him."

The Brownlow medallist had been rumoured to be leaving Geelong to join the Suns for several months.

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AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has cast doubt on the deal, describing it as "incomprehensible, completely exaggerated."

"Those sorts of numbers would be completely exaggerated because it is just incomprehensible under our salary cap provisions for a player to be earning 25 per cent of the cap," Demetriou told Fairfax Radio.

"So I wouldn't give any credence or credibility to those numbers. They are completely . . . out of the ballpark."

Ablett will be the sixth uncontracted player to join the Suns after Jarrod Harbrow, Michael Rischitelli, Nathan Bock and Nathan Krakouer, and is tipped to be handed the captaincy alongside former Hawk Campbell Brown.

The Cats will receive two first-round picks as compensation for losing Ablett to the expansion club.

Ablett has played 192 games for the Cats and won two premierships along with the 2009 Brownlow Medal.

 Suns chief executive Travis Auld said the announcement was the biggest endorsement of the new AFL team yet.

"This is an historic day for the AFL's newest team," Auld said.

"Gary is the single biggest marquee player in the AFL.

"We are inspired by the fact he has accepted a huge personal challenge to assist in launching a new AFL team in a developing market.

"We are also inspired by his belief that we can put together a team that can sustain a window of opportunity to achieve great things."

Geelong Football Club wasted no time distancing themselves from the star midfielder ahead of his announcement to join the Suns by removing Ablett from their playing list on the club's website a few hours before the announcement.