He coached him to two AFL premierships at the Cattery, but Mark Thompson never imagined Gary Ablett would reach the level of greatness he has on the Gold Coast. 

“I didn’t think he could be playing as well in a poor(er) side,” Thompson revealed on Fox Footy’s ‘360’ program.

The stand-in senior coach of the Essendon Bombers has marvelled at his former apprentice since his defection to Queensland, with Ablett having claimed his first Brownlow Medal under the tutelage of Geelong’s dual-premiership mentor.

Melbourne coach Paul Roos had equally as much praise for the SUNS skipper, suggesting he could be the best player he had seen in a football uniform. 

“We talked about him today (with the coaching group), and we talked about ‘Is he an eight-goal player? Is he a 10-goal player?’ It makes so much difference to the team.

“I’m taking nothing away from the other guys but he’s an absolutely extraordinary player.” Roos said.

The love for Gaz continued to spread throughout the footy network, with On the Couch panelists Mike Sheahan and Jason Dunstall commending the consistency the SUNS skipper has shown in each of his four seasons on the Gold Coast. 

“I have him the equal of Wayne Carey,” Sheahan said.

“Of all the great players that I’ve seen over the journey and Matthews has been one and Carey and Voss of their day, no-one has been clearly superior to the rest of the field like this bloke.”

Ablett has played 69 matches for the SUNS and has only gathered less than 20 disposals just twice.  

Many football experts believe he is on track to win his third Brownlow Medal, and could extend his prolific football career for many years to come