Gary Ablett is a certainty to become the first AFL player to earn All Australian honours seven times in a row.
Named the AFLPA’s most valuable player for a history-making fifth occasion, and favoured to collect his second Brownlow Medal next Monday night, Ablett’s selection into the honorary All-Star team is a tribute to his remarkable career unmatched by those before him.
A perennial All-Australian since 2007, Ablett has been awarded captaincy for the past three years, with the Gold Coast skipper named Vice-Captain in 2010 and 2012 and Captain in 2011.
Acknowledged by his peers as the second best leader in the competition behind Geelong’s Joel Selwood, the Gold Coaster can expect his honorary leadership streak to continue tonight.
Ablett’s seventh All-Australian selection will see him join an exclusive Club of superstars, with Craig Bradley, Nathan Buckley, Wayne Carey and Paul Roos the only players in AFL/VFL history to achieve the honour seven times.
Given Ablett is showing no signs of slowing down despite the 2009 Brownlow Medallist turning 30-years-old in May, the code’s best player is on track to equal Mark Ricciuto and Robert Harvey’s eight All-Australian selections next year, before going for broke as he aims to become the first player be awarded a ninth All Australian Guernsey.
The current All-Australian selection panel in AFL Boss Andrew Demetriou Kevin Bartlett, Luke Darcy, Mark Evans, Danny Frawley, Glen Jakovich, Cameron Ling and Ricciuto, announced a 40-man squad in early September, from which only 22 will be selected tonight.
Gold Coast SUNS coaching advisor Malcolm Blight will also be attending tonight’s All Australian proceedings, with the former AFL champion to present the John Coleman Medal to Hawthorn’s Jarryd Roughead.
