Gary Ablett is set to take yet another step up the list of AFL royalty with his eighth All-Australian selection tonight.
Despite playing only 15 games due to a shoulder injury, the Gold Coast Suns skipper is considered a certain inclusion in the official AFL Team of the Year after he finished runner-up to Fremantle’s Nathan Fyfe in the AFL Players’ Association Most Valuable Player Award last week.
If included, he will move to the second rung of the All-Australian Honour Roll behind five players who are credited with nine All-Australian selections – Craig Bradley, Stephen Kernahan, Simon Madden, John Platten and Paul Roos.
He will pull level with his father, Gary Ablett Snr, as an eight-time choice, along with Robert Harvey, Gerard Healy, Mark Ricciuto and Greg Williams.
Ablett Jnr has already exceeded each of this illustrious group and every other player to have played the game, having earned All-Australian selection seven years in a row.
Ablett, who made his AFL debut for Geelong in 2002, earned his first All-Australian blazer in 2007, when he also claimed his first Geelong B&F award. And he’s been All-Australian every year since.
His seventh consecutive All-Australian selection last year bettered the previous best streak of six in a row set by dual St.Kilda Brownlow Medallist Harvey in 1994-95-96-97-98-99.
There is an argument to say that Ablett’s eighth All-Australian selection, if secured, will put him among those at the very top of the All-Australian Honour Roll.
This is because, in the period from 1980 to 1990 before the current format was introduced in 1991, there were two different All-Australian teams selected – the National All-Australian Team (chosen in 1980-83-84-85-86-87-88) and the AFL Team of the Year (chosen in 1982-83-84-86-87-88-89-90).
There were times during this period when players earned two All-Australian selections in the same year. And both are included in their career All-Australian tally.
Each of the five players credited with nine All-Australian selections has had at least one double-up, and no player has earned All-Australian selection in more than eight different years.
If Ablett Jnr is included in the 22-man 2014 AFL Team of the Year he will be just the seventh player to have earned All-Australian selection in eight different years.
He’ll join Bradley, Kernahan, Roos, Ablett Snr, Harvey and Ricciuto in this elite-plus group.
Players credited with eight and nine All-Australian selections by the AFL (including double-ups) are:-
9 - Craig Bradley (Carlton) – 1983, 1985, 1986 (2), 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997
9 - Stephen Kernahan (Carlton) – 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 (2), 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994
9 – Simon Madden (Essendon) – 1983 (2), 1984, 1987 (2), 1988 (2), 1989, 1990
9 – John Platten (Hawthorn) – 1985*, 1986 (2), 1987 (2), 1988 (2), 1989, 1992
9 – Paul Roos (Fitzroy/Sydney) – 1985, 1986, 1987 (2), 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997
8 – Gary Ablett Snr (Geelong) – 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
8 – Robert Harvey (St.Kilda) – 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003
8 – Gerard Healy (Melbourne/Sydney) – 1982, 1984, 1986 (2), 1987 (2), 1988 (2)
8 – Mark Ricciuto (Adelaide) – 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
8 – Greg Williams (Sydney/Carlton) – 1986 (2), 1987 (2), 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994
