It will surprise nobody that Gary Ablett leads the Gold Coast SUNS in all major possession and goal-kicking statistics.
In 81 games for the club he’s topped 20 possessions 77 times and has bettered 30 possessions 49 times. He’s had 12 40-possessions games, including a club record 53 possessions in one game, and is the club’s leading all-time possession-winner.
He’s been a multiple goal-kicker a club record 33 times. Or in 41% of his games. And despite the more specific forward line roles of Tom Lynch, Charlie Dixon, Brandon Matera and Harley Bennell, the midfield maestro remains the SUNS’ leading goal-kicker.
In club history only 12 times has a SUNS player had 30 possessions and three goals in the same game. An after last Saturday, when Ablett achieved these very statistics against the GWS Giants at Metricon, he now has 10 of them. Harley Bennell has the other two.
But what will surprise many is the defensive prowess of a player who many regard as predominantly an offensive player.
On Saturday Ablett also had a club record 17 tackles.
It was also a personal best for the dual Brownlow Medallist in his 273rd game, and bettered his own SUNS record and previous best of 14 tackles set against Fremantle in 2011.
Ablett leads the SUNS in all-time tackles. Easily. He has made 443 to head Michael Rischitelli (374), Dion Prestia (346) and David Swallow (341).
Ablett averages 5.5 tackles per game for the SUNS. Among 77 SUNS players all-time only Jaeger O’Meara has a higher average tackles record at 5.8.
Against the Giants Ablett had 30 possessions (14 contested possessions), three goals, 17 tackles and nine clearances. One more clearance and he would have recorded just the third SUNS game of double-figure statistics in contested possessions, tackles and clearances.
Mitch Hallahan posted the second such game against West Coast in Round 7 this year after Ablett had the first game of this significant ‘grunt’ level against GWS last year.
Ablett shared the statistical honours last Saturday with Round 16 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Touk Miller.
Miller recorded career-best numbers in six key categories - 27 possessions, 18 contested possessions, nine clearances, seven forward 50 entries, two goals and three goal assists.
It was a breakout performance for the 19-year-old ex-Victorian U18 captain as he smashed his previous best of 22 possessions and 12 contested possessions.
It was the first time, too, he’d been a multiple goal-kicker. And his three goal assists was only one short of the SUNS’ club record of four, help by Lynch and Matera.
In another statistical highlight on Saturday, Zac Smith, in his first AFL game since Round 7, had 37 hit-outs. This was the equal second highest count in club history behind his own 39 hit-outs against Sydney in 2014 and level with his own 37 hit-outs against Melbourne in Round 1 this year.
