Gary Ablett, Dan Hannebery and Shane Edwards training hard in hub
Gary Ablett collapsed on to his back about 9.50am on the Gold Coast on Friday with his chest heaving.
Gary Ablett collapsed on to his back about 9.50am on the Gold Coast on Friday with his chest heaving.
It was not a steamy morning, by southeast Queensland standards, but the champion Cat was cooked.
After a brief pause, the dual-Brownlow medallist regained his feet and trotted a few metres before bending over, with his hands on his knees, for another breather.
Having regained his composure after a searching 80-minute training session alongside Saint Dan Hannebery and Tiger Shane Edwards, he swapped a fist bump with both.
For all the political byplay surrounding the AFL’s quarantine hub on the Gold Coast, a significant number of people are working inside it. But arguably none are working harder than the trio of players trying to regain peak fitness ahead of the finals.
As three-time premiership Cat Andrew Mackie said of Ablett; “I reckon after that he will need to put his feet up for a bit.”
Ablett is returning to footy after a family tragedy. Edwards is coming back from a joyous occasion after recently becoming a father. Hannebery’s hindrance was a hamstring.
The shades of their stripes are different but they share an ambition. Each wants to help their club to a premiership next month.
For the common good, rivalries have been put aside as they test each other in training.
Champion Hawk Jarryd Roughead, who is now working at St Kilda, has spent time in the past two sessions serving as a direct opponent for Ablett.
As they near an exit from the quarantine hub, the intensity of their training sessions has increased sharply and he said the dual-Brownlow medallist was not alone in feeling fatigued.
Roughead retired last year. Mackie played the last of his 280 games three years ago. They both looked to be moving well enough to get a kick on the weekend at the elite level.
But when considering the final premiership pursuit undertaken by Ablett, it is worth noting Roughead and Mackie were drafted years after he was selected as a father-son in 2001.
“We are just witches’ hats now,” Roughead said.
“You get the itch back for five or so minutes and then when you are doing a one-on-one with Gaz, you work out that once you are on the other side, it takes a fair bit to get back.
“I think if you asked the boys, all three are pretty buggered, so I guess with this, when you only have three (involved), you can’t really hide in a session.
“(When) you have got 40 blokes, you can go to the back of the line when you are starting drills, you can go through the motions, whereas here, they are on the go the whole time. You can’t hide.
“Their skills are up. And when you have this amount of people sitting back and watching too, I guess it (gives an incentive) for them to finish off their work.”
Mackie said Ablett, who was watched by his wife Jordan and their son Levi, appears to be doing well given the recent family difficulties.
Jordan Ablett’s mother Trudy died in August after a long illness.
The five-time MVP left the Cats’ hub when they were based in Perth in July to return home, with the couple revealing their boy is suffering from a rare degenerative condition.
“Only he can answer that,” Mackie said.
“But from my point of view, he is a good friend and I have enjoyed hanging out with him so much over this last little journey and he is focused on what he has to do with his footy.
“I think the great thing is that he and Jordan … and little Levi, they are a great family and I think we are all enjoying the love and care they are giving to him.”
Whether any of the premiership players return for round 18 action after rejoining their clubs on Tuesday might depend on necessity.
Edwards looks ready to go and his Tigers play the Crows in Adelaide on Saturday week.
Ablett, who has played 352 games, is almost certain to have a couple of full training sessions with teammates ahead of Geelong’s clash with the Saints on Sunday on the Gold Coast.
Hannebery has done phenomenally well to get to a point where he might be available given he underwent hamstring surgery in July.
The Saints play the Giants on Friday night at the Gabba, but it is now a must-win game if they are to guarantee a finals position after their loss against West Coast on Friday night.
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Dan Hannebery looked sharp inside the transition hub today, finals recall beckons should the Saints make it ✅ pic.twitter.com/4ryr6TNwYW
— Michael Willson (@MichaelCWillson) September 9, 2020
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