It’s not often the football world gets to hear Gary Ablett Snr speak, but when he does, people listen.  So when the AFL Team of the Century member claims a current player could be “the greatest to ever play the game”, it makes you take notice.  Especially when the player in question happens to be his son, current Gold Coast SUNS skipper Gary Ablett Jnr.

Speaking this week at a fundraising event for The Smouldering Stump – an organisation raising awareness of post-traumatic stress following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires – Ablett Snr said his son had exceeded all expectations since making his AFL debut back in 2002.

“I do think he’s starting to get in to that stage where he arguably could be the greatest player to ever play the game,” Ablett Snr said.

“Perhaps he’s not as spectacular as some, but when it comes to consistency, leadership and setting an example around the club, you couldn’t ask for a better guy.

In March, GC SUNS coach Guy McKenna predicted his club’s captain would reach the 400-game milestone.  Given Ablett just turned 30 on Wednesday, the wear and tear his body goes through each week getting hammered by taggers, and the fact he still has 140 games to go to reach that mark, you could argue the idea was slightly far-fetched at the time.  But according to his legendary father, that mark is well within the realm of possibility.

He also cited his family’s competitiveness as one reason why the two-time Brownlow winner has reached the heights throughout his career with the SUNS and Cats.

“With Gary, you have a combination of my competitive nature – he’d rather drop dead than let his opponent beat him – and the desire and the hunger to reach his potential.

“That’s taken him from where he was to where he is today, and going to the Gold Coast has been the catalyst for him to grow in other areas such as leadership and character.

“He has grown as a person, not just a footballer, and that is a real credit to him.”