Gary Ablett returns to Geelong but will he return to our SuperCoach hearts in 2018?

HE’S the GOAT - Greatest Of All Time - when it comes to SuperCoach. But should Gary Ablett Jnr be in our 2018 starting squads? That question is harder than it appears, writes Al Paton.

Gary Ablett returns to Geelong in 2018. Picture: Peter Ristevski

HE’S the GOAT - Greatest Of All Time - when it comes to SuperCoach. But should he be in our 2018 starting squads?

That question is harder than it appears. There is a simple argument for not selecting Gary Ablett this year; he’s 33, and has a horrible recent injury history.

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But the counter-argument is pretty good; if he gets on the park he can score like no one else in the game (with the possible exception of new teammate Patrick Dangerfield).

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Let’s break those two sides down a bit. In Gazza’s case we’ll start with the negatives first, since most experienced SuperCoach players look like passing on the great man.

Gary Ablett and Scott Selwood at Geelong training. Picture: Alison Wynd

WHY WE SHOULDN’T PICK HIM

* How many players produce their best form past the age of 30, let alone 33? Ablett will be 34 in May.

* He will set you back $631,100 - making him the fourth-most expensive player in SuperCoach. That is a huge investment and you need a huge return to justify it.

* Ablett hasn’t played more than 15 matches in a season since 2013 as he battled shoulder problems and other injuries. Most players only get more injuries as their body ages.

* Ablett was ranked No.4 on averages last year but 139th on total points, illustrating the value of picking durable players. Matt Crouch, Clayton Oliver and Tom Mitchell didn’t miss a game in 2017.

* The Cats are smart. They will manage their star recruit to have him in prime condition for September, which might mean a rest or two during the home-and-away rounds - probably in the week you desperately need him in SuperCoach.

* Where will Ablett play at the Cats? At Gold Coast he was the top banana in the midfield, with occasional rests up forward. This season he’s likely to spend a lot more time in attack as he shares the onball load with Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan and Co (who will also take some of his points).

Gaz could kick 50-plus goals as a permanent forward but so does Eddie Betts and you wouldn’t pick him in SuperCoach (Eddie booted 55 goals last year and averaged 79 points a game)

WHY WE SHOULD PICK HIM

* When Ablett plays, he scores. He has averaged at least 114 for the past ELEVEN SEASONS. Respect.

* When he has a decent run at it, he scores even more. Take out the injury-interrupted matches in the past few years and his average starts to climb - wind the clock back to when he played close to every game and he was consistently around the 130 mark (granted, that was a few years ago)

* We’re not going to get into conspiracy theories about why Ablett missed some games at Gold Coast but any player would have extra motivation to get out every single week for a team with a shot at a premiership. Talk about players having a point to prove can be a bit cliched but Ablett could be the most driven individual in AFL history. He’s also an uber professional who will channel every ounce of his will into proving he’s still a superstar.

* He’s playing in a better team that will win more games, kick more goals and earn a stack more SuperCoach points. He also gets to play against Gold Coast now!

* Sure, Dangerfield and Selwood might pinch some of his points but they’ll also be giving him the ball - and taking the attention of opposition taggers who only had Ablett to worry about when facing the Suns in recent times. Gaz off the chain is a scary thought.

* He’ll also get nine matches at the Cats’ home ground, where he has a career average of 122 from 36 appearances.

* The romance. Picking Ablett would be a huge gamble, no doubt. But he’s likely to be a point of difference - and what a POD to have if he rekindles the flame and goes on a scoring spree early. In Round 2 Geelong plays Hawthorn - Ablett’s past seven scores against the Hawks have been 146, 112, 159, 157, 138, 149, 189. At least his price doesn’t change until the next week.

Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett Jr and Patrick Dangerfield. Geelong Cats training at Deakin Waurn Ponds. Picture: Alan Barber

THE VERDICT

Al Paton says: Would not be surprised at all if the GOAT bolts out of the blocks with a 130 average and he would be an awesome POD ... but very low chance of playing 22 games means it’s a no. Probably.

Ben Higgins says: If he was $100k cheaper I’d consider him but he’s not. How does he slot in with DangerWood? How many games will he play? Why wouldn’t I shell out $20k more for Martin or Mitchell? Or save money with Kelly, Clayton and Crouch?

Gilbert Gardiner says: Too many question marks over the SuperCoach GOAT to be considered a viable option despite the prospect of a formidable combination being built with Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood.