Although he has played just 20 games over the past two seasons, SUNS midfielder Gary Ablett is still in the top 10 stars in the game according to his fellow players.

The dual Brownlow medallist comes in at number 8 in the 2017 AFL Players’ Top 50 after being ranked number two last year, the second SUN to be recognised after captain Tom Lynch came in at No. 14.

Ablett made his AFL debut in 2002 and has played 288 senior games for Geelong and Gold Coast, booting 378 goals and collecting a raft of individual honours along the journey.

What AFL.com.au said…
Ablett deserves a change in luck this season after three injury-affected years, reflected in his six-place slide in the AFL Players' Top 50.

Ablett has played just 35 games since 2014, with shoulder and knee problems hampering what had been a remarkably durable career. His possession rate and goal-kicking potency have unsurprisingly dropped since his original 2014 shoulder injury, but he's set to contribute more in the latter category in 2017 as he'll be unleashed as a part-time forward.

He showed last year his best is still scintillating when he collected 40 touches against Hawthorn in round 14.