The annual Gary Ablett spending more time up forward thread

[DCAK]

This is the same 'ol horse sh1t that people come up with year in year out to justify not spending the dough on the best player in the AFL and undefeated SC champion.

Leave him out at your own peril.

[Ramus]

GAJ is still a lock for mine, he may not be as dominant as in previous seasons, but I still like having the permanent C on him.

[redfield]

It ain't gonna happen

http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/gold-coast-superstar-gary-ablett-is-poised-to-remain-a-key-cog-in-the-suns-midfield/story-fnelctok-1226796776329

[Vinny]

I think I may start him.... :-X

[_wato]

I think I may start him.... :-X

You leaving me Vinny?  :'(

[Vinny]

I think I may start him.... :-X

You leaving me Vinny?  :'(

Haha not for sure yet man.

[mark621]

hes certainly very good, but his status as perma captain is getting very shaky
people started to lean away from him at points last year
hes certainly no longer a lockable player considering the risks involved with him

another year older
Prestia, Omera, Swallow, Bennell, Matera
most of those names baring omera have no real excuses this year not to step up and start deliverying, GC will be smart and in saying he will remain an integral part of the midfield, thats true, but they wont risk the natural development of the younger guys who are the key to finals for GC. Gaz was only ever brought in to teach these kids how to play on the field. i think you may find a season average perhaps upto 20ppg lower and should present value at around 525k

i agree with a person before, pendles is your main man to either start or get early above gaz with a J. selwood just behind

[Ricochet]

What if... the improvement of GC and their young mids actually helped GAJ find more ball ::)
A lot of talk about how they will steal points away from him but as they get better and the team wins more games they will retain possession more and share amongst each other.

Prediction for 2014: GAJ will improve on his average from 2013

[_wato]

i think you may find a season average perhaps upto 20ppg lower and should present value at around 525k

i agree with a person before, pendles is your main man to either start or get early above gaz with a J. selwood just behind

You have got to be kidding right? Ablett only averaging 110 and reach as low as $525k? Maybe he might reach that low in price but to only average that, no way. 125+ or around that number would be my thinking.

I'm really not sure whether that is correct, Pendles is in an even tougher midfield than Ablett, if anything Pendles may drop in average especially with the inclusion of Dayne Beams back into the team full time after his injury.

J Selwood is right on their backs especially now that Geelong lost Joel Corey, Chappy and others etc.

[Rusty00]

What if... the improvement of GC and their young mids actually helped GAJ find more ball ::)
A lot of talk about how they will still points away from him but as they get better and the teams wins more games they will retain possession more and share amongst each other.

Prediction for 2014: GAJ will improve on his average from 2013

It's a good point.

GAJ had a better midfield behind him at Geelong than he will at GC this year and that didn't affect his scoring.....
Collingwood have more midfield depth than the Suns, yet the people who are saying that up and coming midfielders will steal points from GAJ are pushing Pendles as the new midfield stud.....

[mark621]

pendles has the ability there, hes not their highest disposal getting each week but his efficiency is the best there

i avoided gaz last year for k. jack, great move
lets be honest, he had two or three unbelievable games that held his average up there, the rest was ok by his standards
i wont some tight games because people still believed he was the perma captain and i had a comfortably lock in k. jack or pendles

as for the rest of GC helping him retain his possession, though stated by someone else, swan is the prime example, the former perma captain, and judd is under that as the one previous to swan. better midfielders around him means they get the ball and carry a workload and your guys like swan, judd and gaz dont need the ball as much and in turn wont

gc coach should at some point be saying 'gaz i wanna make the finals in 2015, please let the kids shine in the midfield more'

[Ricochet]

i avoided gaz last year for k. jack, great move
lets be honest, he had two or three unbelievable games that held his average up there, the rest was ok by his standards
i wont some tight games because people still believed he was the perma captain and i had a comfortably lock in k. jack or pendles

GAJ averaged 135 until the last few rounds then he dropped away from injury... Not sure that not starting him was a great move

[_wato]

Yeah, I really don't think picking Kieren Jack over Gary Ablett was a smart move at all? Pretty stupid move when you think about it? Nearly 20-30 points difference in scoring plus all the high end scores Ablett pumped out.

And you can't say Kieren Jack's high 140's here and there didn't bump up his average to what it became. Pendlebury also averaged 129.5 without Beams being over prolific then when he did play well in 2012 and Swan had one of his better years he only averaged 124.8. Without Beams this year he bumped his average back upto near on 127.

Better and more prolific midfielders around means they steal points from each other? Sydney is a prime example? Most players don't average more than 110. GC don't have as many prolific ball winners as Collingwood's so Ablett's scores won't be as hindered as much you would think. The Gold Coast midfielders will be guns but aren't true guns yet. They still have 1-2 years to go to reach that, as well as fantasy scoring wise.

If they did say that finals were in their sights for 2015, Ablett would still be in his prime and be in that movement to reach finals? Can't believe you'd say that. If Gold Coast were to reach finals, he'd have to play midfield all game, every game.

[hawkers65]

Today was the first day i've had Ablett in any of my drafts :o Feels good

[mark621]

i did suggest that pendles or k. jack were my captains and there were more games that they outscored ablett than ablett did to them
not over all, but when you had say GC v Freo its an easy call to know you dont want ablett as Captain if you have a k. Jack v Melbourne

after last year GC would want to be fighting to the top 8 and to do that they need those mids to step up, id suggest itll start happening this year and continued persistence in a 30 year old in a young developing midfield wont pay off

look at his last third of the year, that average will be repeated more stronglly
if your only as good as your last game, sure thats against gws but lets not be blind look at that average 116 from his last 8