Queensland rejects Geelong’s quarantine plan for Gary Ablett

Gary Ablett will have just one game to prepare for his last finals series after the bid to get him into a hub before September 1 was rebuffed.

Geelong’s Gary Ablett will now have a very limited preparation for this season’s finals series. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Gary Ablett will be reduced to a single game to prepare for his last finals series after the Cats’ bid to get him into a quarantine hub before September 1 was rebuffed.

Ablett was determined to play the last three home-and-away games of the season by flying to Queensland in coming days alongside Richmond’s Shane Edwards.

The joint Geelong-Richmond submission had AFL approval and was put to the Queensland government before being knocked back.

The players would have had to quarantine for 14 days in a hotel without permission to train at a nearby football ground.

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They will now join a group of AFL officials, including AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan, to fly north on Tuesday week for a 14-day quarantine from September 1.

The players will be able to train within that facility and use a gym in preparation for Round 18.

Richmond and Geelong have accepted the decision, with the AFL believing the government seriously considered the request before eventually knocking it back.

Cats football boss Simon Lloyd said putting Ablett in hard quarantine would have meant he lost training fitness.

“While Gary and the club are disappointed, we understand the importance of staying diligent in the fight against COVID-19,” he said. “The Queensland government and health officials have been first class throughout this time in supporting clubs and the game.

“Gary had important family matters that required him to return home. We were fully supportive of that decision.

“Gary will continue to train before coming into Queensland on September 1. We look forward to Gary and his family joining us once the quarantine is complete.”

The Queensland government is determined to safeguard its citizens, with the players keen to be able to get onto an oval and train if they moved up north.

Richmond has a bye in Round 16 so would only have allowed Edwards, whose partner has just given birth to their baby daughter, to play two extra games before the finals.

Now Ablett will have only a single game against Sydney before hitting finals at full pace. He has been away from the Cats until mid-July to help care for his sick son Levi along with wife Jordan.

It means a player considered football’s best general forward on Champion Data statistics will have only a single game in two months to hit finals.

Ablett was determined to move north to play as many as three games before finals.

Herald Sun