Gary Ablett Jr livestream: See the AFL champion play for Palmerston vs St Mary’s in a big NTFL clash

The Little Master has dusted off the boots to play for Palmerston Magpies in a big NTFL clash against St Mary’s. WATCH THE REPLAY.

Gary Ablett Jr showed flashes of the brilliance which twice won him the Brownlow Medal, but a second quarter calf injury gave away the great man’s two-year absence from the game.

The two-time AFL premiership winner got involved as much as he could to will his new side Palmerston on against reigning NTFL premiers St Mary’s.

But it was not enough, with Saints stamping down their authority in the final quarter through three thrilling Dylan Landt goals to spoil the party and win 12.12 (84) to 7.11 (53) at a packed TIO Stadium.

The all-time great showed in his few early touches that he hadn’t lost the silky skills which had earned him so much renown.

Gary Ablett Jr returns to the footy field for the first time in two years for Palmerston as they play St Mary’s in Round 8 of the NTFL. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Ablett Jr’s first touch showed both his class and his willingness to help his Top End side to the win, as he brought captain and 2021-22 Nichols Medallist Eric Guthrie into the match.

Guthrie, who had a penalty paid for pushing in the back, made no mistake from the set shot and slotted through Palmerston’s opener.

And at the end of the opening quarter he showed the same class with a blind turn and a flick over Saints’ defence to gift Ben Gibbeson Magpies second goal.

However, a calf injury in the second quarter meant he spent the remainder of the match in the forward line to shield his pain.

St Mary’s for their part played perhaps their match of the 2022-23 NTFL season, with captain Nate Paredes, ruck Ryan Smith and Landt dominating in the midfield.

And they had a sure-fire plan to contain the threat posed by Ablett Jr using Kieran Parnell as the main tag, while Luke Oborn, Harrison Ling and Matthew Green also piled on in the backline.

Despite his injury Ablett Jr stuck it out for the entirety of the match, sometimes taking off in the interchange to rest up in the Darwin heat, and in the dying moments he was still on for a goal.

The almost goal came in the dying ebbs of the final quarter when he took a mark deep in Palmerston’s forward 50.

Gary Ablett Jr was as competitive as ever for Palmerston against St Mary’s. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The crowd cried out for a 50m penalty as he was taken to the ground, but one was not given.

And instead the moment which would have got everyone on their feet was denied by the slimmest of margins.

After the match crowds rushed to meet the Little Master as he thanked his club and the Top End community for the support they had shown.

“It was really good to come up here and I’m just so thankful to Palmerston for all they’ve done to organise this and support my family,” Ablett Jr said.

“We’ve really enjoyed our time here, would have been good to get the win, but really great group of guys that I got to train with and play with.

“I did my calf in the second quarter, so I won’t be back next week, I made sure to run out the game but the body is telling me it’s not up to this level of footy anymore.

“But I had a lot of fun, and who knows, maybe another game in the future.”

Kieran Parnell has been one of the best NTFL defenders over the past few years. Picture Glenn Campbell

Parnell, who had kept Ablett Jr locked down for the majority of the match called it a dream come true to share the field with someone of his calibre.

“It was amazing obviously, he’s someone a lot of the boys idolised growing up,” Parnell said.

“To share the field with was something I will remember for a long time, and to get the matchup on him was awesome.

“It was a big role obviously, he definitely taught me a few things, even in the AFL no one could stop him, let alone me trying to stop him.

“It was a dream come true. He’s obviously a competitive person, and after the game we shook hands and got a photo which was good.”

GARY ABLETT JR RETURNS TO THE FOOTY FIELD

He won two AFL Premierships and two Brownlow Medals as an elusive midfield-forward and the Palmerston Magpies are banking on Gary Ablett’s versatility in their quest to return to the top of the mountain in the Top End.

Ablett, arguably one of the AFL’s best over the past two decades, will make a shock return to the field in the Magpies Round 8 NTFL clash against St Mary’s on Friday night.

The match will be live streamed exclusively by KommunityTV from 7pm (ACST).

The one-off visit to the Top End will be Ablett’s first competitive match since Geelong’s loss to Richmond in the 2020 AFL grand final.

HE’S HERE: LITTLE MASTER TRAINS AHEAD OF RETURN

Gary Ablett is set to return to the footy field for the first time in two years.

It also marks Ablett’s first ever playing appearance outside of the AFL and Victorian TAC Cup since his career began in 2001.

Palmerston coach Josh Heath admitted coaching Ablett would become a story to pass down through his future generations, but said he wouldn’t be pulling rank too often on the 357-game AFL veteran.

WATCH PALMERSTON V ST MARYS LIVE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE FROM 7PM (ACST)

“(I) don’t want to lock him into a position just yet, we want to see him out on the track with the boys first,” Heath said.

“This is a real opportunity for the club and for the community to see one of the best players come up and play.

Gary Ablett of the Geelong Cats set to play in the NTFL. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Palmerston’s vice-president and football operations manager Glen Patrick is among many Top End footy fans looking forward to the big clash.

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“I know Matty and Gary are doing a lot of preparation work to play in Friday night’s game, so they’ll be ready to go for sure,” Patrick said.

“It was always going to be one game, bearing in mind it has been a big ask for Gary to come up here and play when you consider he hasn’t played anywhere outside the AFL in 20 years.’’

Patrick rates Ablett Jr as one of the top three players in the history of Australian rules football dating all the way back to the game’s inception with the VFL in the 1800s.

And his presence has already taken full effect in the region.

“We had more than 250 people at training this week when we combined all of the sides,” Patrick said. “Just a hint of what footy means to everyone associated with the club.”