Gold Coast SUNS Captain Gary Ablett has declared himself a certain starter for the GC SUNS first AFL game against Carlton on April 2 after overcoming a pre-season hampered by groin problems.
The 26-year-old said he had been frustrated with his restricted pre-season but now looked forward to finally playing for his new side after missing all of the GC SUNS NAB Cup/Challenge matches.
"I'll be ready to go, 100 per cent, unless I have an injury between that time," he said on Thursday at the AFL captains' day in Melbourne.
"I'm looking forward to it. I've had a bit of an injury-interrupted pre-season, which has been a bit annoying, but I'll be ready to go.
"It has been tough, especially coming up to the club and being given the honour of being captain. Obviously I want to be out on the training track with the boys and helping them as much as I can."
Ablett will play in a "game-like" scenario next weekend with the GC SUNS to sit out of the AFL's opening round with the bye.
He said he wasn't worried about approaching the season without a full pre-season behind him and believed he had enough fitness work on board to start in round two.
"Whether I'm 100 per cent or not, I'm going to play in that game. You can't help injuries; that's just part of footy," he said.
"I've managed it the best I can and I'm 100 per cent now, I've had three solid weeks of training and we've still got three more weeks until it starts."
He said the bye had come as a blessing in disguise for his own preparation, despite the frustration at having to wait another week to start the GC SUNS official campaign.
"It's definitely helped me as an individual; it's given me an extra week to get ready," he said.
"When I first saw the draw, I probably would have preferred the bye a bit more into the season where you can get a rest after you've played a few games."
Ablett said the main challenge the GC SUNS faced this year was ensuring their host of elite junior players gelled together as a team rather than playing as individuals.
"There's a lot of talented kids but talent doesn't win you games," he said.
"We've got to make sure we're playing together as a team and it's going to be a challenge.
"With so many young guys, consistency is going to be the biggest challenge. We're going to have lots of young guys coming in and out, and we're looking forward to those challenges."
Ablett said his younger brother Nathan, who has suffered from back problems throughout the pre-season, was going well after playing his first game for the year in the reserves last week.
"He played quite well. He's been a bit restricted with an injury with his training but hopefully he can get a game round two but if not, I'm sure he'll play some senior footy this year," he said.
"I've already told the other boys if he's playing, don't bother leading because I'm kicking to him."
