Gary Ablett sidelined with ankle injury but Gold Coast insists he’ll be right for Round 1 against Essendon

GOLD Coast superstar Gary Ablett will not play a game ­before Round 1, but the Suns insist his ankle injury is not a concern.

Gold Coast Suns training session held at Metricon Stadium. Gary Ablett. Picture by Scott Fletcher

GOLD Coast superstar Gary Ablett will not play a game ­before Round 1, but the Suns insist his ankle injury is not a concern.

The Suns confirmed Ablett wouldn’t play against Adelaide on Friday night and would also miss the scratch match against Queensland local team Aspley on the dead weekend before Round 1.

They also confirmed the minor sprain in his ankle a month ago had become a ­tendon injury.

Gold Coast head of football Marcus Ashcroft told the Herald Sun on Monday night: “With Gaz, it’s a tendon in the foot, a ­ligament.

“He sprained it a few weeks back and it was minor, but ­because Gaz has done so much training during the pre-season and done a lot of match ­simulations stuff, it’s a no-risk with him.

“He won’t play this week, he’s not 100 per cent, but we know with another three weeks to go, he’ll be fine.”

Despite the Suns’ confidence, it is rare for a player to miss all of the pre-season without having an injury concern.

“It’s probably not ideal, but we know what Gary is like, he can come straight into a game and it won’t be an issue for him,” Ashcroft said.

“So we’re not concerned. The pre-season he’s had, he’s done as much running in this pre-season as any pre-season throughout his career.”

Gary Ablett is resigned to sitting out all of pre-season with an ankle injury in the hope of being fit to play Essendon in Round 1. Picture: Scott Fletcher

The setback hurt a previously flawless pre-season and continues a wretched run for the dual Brownlow medallist.

Ablett played only six matches last season because of shoulder and knee problems in what was the most frustrating year of his career.

The Suns 10 days ago believed Ablett would play against West Coast last Thursday night. He did not travel with the team.

“We wanted to get him back playing, but again, because he’s being doing enough and because he’s not totally 100 per cent, there’s no point trying to risk him in a game,” Ashcroft said.

“You can rule him out this week, but the view is he will be 100 per cent right for Round 1.”

At the weekend Ablett ­posted on Instagram a video of him running on an anti-gravity treadmill.

The Suns said it was part of his rehabilitation.

“What it does, you run on a percentage of your body weight,’’ Ashcroft said.

“All that does is reduce the level of weight you have to bear when you run.”

He added that Ablett ran at training yesterday, “and it wasn’t a problem at all”.

The Aspley match was a definite no-go for Ablett.

“We’ve got a game against Aspley for the players we think need it, but we’re going to play rookies and others who have not had much game time,’’ Ashcroft said. “You wouldn’t play Gaz in that game.”

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