SuperCoach: Gary Ablett on trade chopping block after slow start to AFL season

TUESDAY’S news cements any doubts SuperCoaches may have had about what to do with the game’s biggest name. Surely it’s time to sell Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett. Isn’t it?

AFL Rd 2 - Gold Coast v St Kilda

THROW out the SuperCoach rule book, it’s time to do the unthinkable and dump Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett.

The undisputed King of SuperCoach — a title held since about 2008 — has failed to fire a shot in his first two games back from a shoulder reconstruction.

And now, after struggling noticeably with his shoulder, the little champ is pulling the pin and taking some time to get his left shoulder 100 per cent.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed among the 92,000 SuperCoaches who shelled out top dollar — $734,600 — for the dual Brownlow medallist at the start of the season.

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As of late Monday afternoon a whopping 16 per cent — about 11,000 — had already made their decision and punted the champ, with Nat Fyfe, Marcus Bontempelli and Rory Sloane among the most popular replacements.

You can bet after Tuesday’s news, there’ll be plenty more doing the same.

Gary Ablett fends off Nick Riewoldt with his ‘good’ arm. Picture: Getty

And who could blame them looking at Ablett’s break-even — the highest in the competition — and projected price free fall.

Ablett needs 224 points in his return match to stop his value dropping when his price is next adjusted. He has achieved that score once in his career.

A score of 123 will see his price drop by about $45,000.

There’s only one catch to all this ‘trade him out right now’ business.

What if Gazza goes away (for only a week or two), comes back and is straight back to, you know, the Little Gaz of old?

He couldn’t, could he?

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ABLETT BY THE NUMBERS — averages

SuperCoach points

2009-14: 122 / 2015: 102

Disposals

32.1 / 21.0

Contested Possessions

14.7 / 11.0

Uncontested Possessions

17.4 / 10.0

Tackles

5.0 / 0.5

Goals

1.4 / 1.5

Ablett averages about six tackles-a-game in his time at Gold Coast. He's laid ZERO in his last six quarters #AFLSunsSaints

— Gilbert Gardiner (@gilbertgardiner) April 11, 2015

ABLETT’S SUPERCOACH PAIN

SC points per game from...

Contested possessions -10.2

Uncontested possessions -9.2

Tackles -14.1

Kicks -0.1

Goals +0.1

Handballs -5.6

Source: Champion Data

Originally published as SuperCoach: Gary Ablett on trade chopping block after slow start to AFL season