Geelong clearly believe Gary Ablett’s arrival can deliver premiership given price paid in trade

GARY Ablett’s arrival back at Geelong will unite three of the game’s best midfielders and give the Cats the best on-ball trio the game has seen but will it be enough to achieve the ultimate success?

Can the return of Gary Ablett deliver the Cats a premiership?

IT’S a love affair that has lasted the best part of 30 years — the city they call Sleepy Hollow and two unique footballers with the same name.

Geelong and Gary Ablett is the AFL equivalent of Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon and Josephine or the entire country of New Zealand and the All Blacks.

TRADED: ABLETT FINDS HIS WAY BACK TO GEELONG

TRAGEDY: ABLETT FMAILY GATHER TO FAREWELL NATASHA ABLETT

STAR TRIO: CATS GET EXCITED AS ABLETT JOINS DANGER, SELWOOD IN HOOPS

GARY ABLETT: WHY I WANTED TO HEAD HOME

The football club’s success has always been regarded as the best barometer of the health and wealth of Geelong, and rarely has it been more buoyant than since news of Gary Ablett Jr’s return broke three days ago, particularly as many feared they would never see him wear the blue and white hoops again.

That Cat fans were able to witness the rare skills of Gary Ablett Sr and Jr — or “Little Gazza” as Jr is affectionately known — for 22 seasons between 1984 and 2010 was a case of being spoiled beyond compare.

Gary Ablett will continue his 302-game career with Geelong.

Has there ever been a better father-son combo than Gary Ablett Snr and Gary Ablett Jnr? Picture: Wayne Ludbey

That Gary Jr has returned rivals LeBron James going back to Cleveland, a move which resulted in ultimate glory for the NBA’s Cavaliers.

Can Ablett Jr, now 33, help provide the same for a side with which he tasted premiership success with in 2007 and ‘09? Clearly the Cats hierarchy believes so, having paid a healthy price in draft picks for him.

And as sane as the most reasoned Geelong fans are attempting to be, the excitement of Ablett playing in the same side as Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood is impossible to contain.

It was written on Thursday that the Ablett-Dangerfield-Selwood trifecta is the best since Ben Cousins, Chris Judd and Daniel Kerr. Best since? Try best ever, because three more decorated midfielders have never appeared in the one side.

Can the return of Gary Ablett deliver the Cats a premiership?

As good as Cousins, Judd and Kerr were, they don’t cut it against the Geelong supergroup. In musical parlance they are the three Bee Gees — Barry, Maurice and Robin — or Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, who formed the aptly named Cream in 1966.

Then again I’m biased, an unabashed Geelong fan since the days of Polly Farmer, Billy Goggin, John Sharrock and Doug Wade.

They say there are no brighter or more vibrant memories than your childhood, but right now I’m a lot closer to 10 than 60 in terms of sheer excitement at what 2018-19 may bring. And hopefully Gary’s parents, Gary Sr and Sue, and his siblings Nathan and Alisha will be sitting in a stand proudly watching one day next year, and sharing that excitement.