Today Tonight exclusive from way back in 1996. The great Ron Barassi visits Gary to talk about life outside football and allows viewers to get a glimpse of the everyday man.
OMG. No idea he could speak, with so much clarity. Media portrays him as a recluse who could only play football. Seems much more to him that media spotlights
As a man who has always wanted to change his name to Gary, always being a closeted Gary, it was a step by step motion into Garyhood. First the surname to Gary, then the middle name to Gary, before going full Gary glory into Gary Gary Gary.
MAN UTD it’s pretty mind blowing they have the 4th most highest league attendance in the whole world. The country population is only around 25 million, but there game attendance just blows my mind for the population size alone. It’s kind of cool how them, and my country (USA) have our own version of football we’ve made. Footie though has the best athletes I’ve seen though to be frank. The ball control they have is just super human.
@@aaronm8143 I went to see Gary Snr play every week. He was very much better than any other player I have seen. At the highest level - 1985 state of origin game vs WA he had only played 9 games and was selected to represent Victoria. He kicked 8 goals on a half forward flank. This announced his arrival as an exceptional talent having done it at the highest level. In 1989 he kicked 9 goals in a losing grand final. He defeated many opponents. They could not stop him. His son is a different player altogether. Smaller man. But very talented. They seem to be instinctively able to do the impossible. Nathan Ablett, the other of Gary Snr's sons, was a super player but walked away from the game. Geoff Ablett, their uncle, could run like the wind. The Krakouer brothers (North Melbourne) were also freakish players, along with the Danihers (Essendon). Neale Daniher in particular was an exceptional player before he busted his knee. The other Australia you should know about is Don Bradman (cricket). His average will neber be beaten. In fact, Babe Ruth admired him so much he invited him to America. No other sportsman has dominated their sport more than Bradman. With the closest probably being Walter Lindrum (billiards).
I’m an 82 year old Irishman living in Western Australia and now a keen follower of the AFL. My memory goes back to the first time Ron Barassi brought an Aussie team over to Dublin to try out a joint-rules game with an All-Ireland GAA team. I was the chief ground steward in Croke Park, Dublin at that time and had the pleasure of bringing Ron and his team from their dressing-room out onto the pitch. Good to see he is still going strong and the Jim Styne’s connection with the Melbourne Club is written in history.
Ron passed away last year. Praise God he got to see Melbourne get another Premiership before he passed. The first one for Melbourne since Ron had played for them.
Gary Senior was a master at every skill. No other player compares to his talent. He kicked bags of goals in games as often as lockett and dunstall. (One day he kicked 14 playing the first 3 quarters on the wing, where he had 9 before going forward) He kicked miraculous goals more often than daicos. (Left foot bananas on the boundary from 50) He played the ground ball at speed better than Gary jnr, Judd, Cable, Matthews. And kicked regular 60 metre goals on the run, either foot. He took spectacular, amazing marks more often than jezza, barker, knights, carey. He was as smart and versatile as rioli, pendlebury, hird, grant. (he would leap and take the ball at boundary throw ins and snap acute goals while still in mid air). He was tougher and more brutal than dipper, matthews, brereton, voss, brown. Players got out of his way, he would split open packs and pinching, punching and holding opponents copped plugger-like treatment. All other players mentioned in the greatest ever debate are great at one or two attributes, Gary Ablett Senior was great at them all. The greatest ever by a big margin. From a Hawks fan.
fantasy0coach I really like that post!! he was indeed in the top 5 players of all time. but there's one comparison you didnt make. John Coleman. you said that Gary Senior was the master at every skill. No other player compares to his talent. I disagree. John Coleman was the Ablett of the 1950's. he did it first. he was a better leap, a better mark, a better kick and a more dominant player than anyone else who played the game. there's a reason why they call it the Coleman Medal. he has the second highest goal average of anyone who played the game (537 goals in 98 matches???? by the age of 25! imagine if he'd played 300 games..... 1600 goals... unless he actually IMPROVED after the age of 25, like most full forwards have in the history of this game! potentially 1700-1800 goals.) there is only one player that I have heard of where the spectators behind the goals would switch ends every quarter. Gary was a freak and for mine, top 3 players I saw in my lifetime (along with Leigh Matthews & Wayne Carey), but my grandmother, who still goes to the footy in her 80's, says that Coleman was the best. and she still has her marbles ;)
Coldacre He could well be. I never saw him play. But the way footy was played in those days, I can't imagine Coleman comparing to the ground skills and pace. I would also think it would be more common to have single dominant players in that era where practically every contest was one on one. If it wasn't for the fact that injuries were career ending back then, I am sure all the records would still be from then. And yes, Coleman's would certainly have been unbeatable had he played the games. There have been so many great players over time that you can't really compare them, all great champions in their own right. Carey is a standout, his leadership was second to none. Matthews was unique, he paved the way for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th efforts in a contest. After being knocked over, he would bounce back to his feet so quick, like the ground was a trampoline. It used to amaze me. Peter Knights was better to watch. He gets forgotten. Players like him and Barker used to take half a dozen hangers a game, as well as be the best player in the team practically every week. We all focus on a few only, mainly goal kickers, and many great champions get forgotten.
fantasy0coach You must admit though the rules back then were in favor of the full forwards. Look in this montage here, he's got someone by the back of his jumper around the collar and is literally pulling him down just as the ball is coming in. I wonder how many he would've kicked in this day and age. Not saying he wasn't a great footy player, just the goal tally is dubious
Antipodean33 Yeah maybe. But you would need to see a montage of how many he didnt get paid to him to know that. It might balance out with the fact that full backs could practically assault full forwards back then also, without giving away a free kick. It was a true battle of strength. Today the forwards are favoured in that respect with the hands in the back, jumper tug etc. The biggest disadvantages for todays forwards are the team defence, and zoning back in numbers. It's no longer one on one.
fantasy0coach Yeah i suppose the full backs could get away with alot as well. It was the great days of footy, i used to love the way Ablett and other forwards would lock arns with the full back and just hold them from the hot spot where the ball was coming in with brute strength and then let go at the last second and take a screamer of a one hander mark. Ablett snr was the master of that
Absolute magician. Lifelong 54yo Blues lover here. Love ya Gary, you gave so very much more to the game than you ever took away. Be blessed always friend.
BS!! Dunstall was better, so was Plugger...and Hudson. Since Gary there have been many who are better. Sam Mitchell, Kouta, Pendles, Dusty, Hodge, Buddy....even back in day Gary Ablett snr wasn't the best player. Wayne Carey dominated games the same way....as did defenders even. He was good but nowhere the best. He'd to be better than Lethal and Tucky to do that. Just one thing...how many flags did Ablett snr win? Argument over.
Yep flying HIGH and produced the goods on the footy field as a self achievement. As a Pie supporter all my life, always saw the positive in his sportsmanship and onfield tough performance. Off field shenanigans!!! Well, I cannot comment on his lifes journey as a person back then. Great player in his time loving Coke who 20 years before may have been sponsored him when Coke was real Coke Cola. Still a champ in an era of harden up men playing for self-preservation and success.
I enjoy lecturing others about social decay,, and then feeding young girls heroin, cocaine and assorted drugs.. And then when they die I go into hiding but still don't even get charged.. RIP Alicia Horan.
@Outlaw FTW Some years back this idiot went on a 4 day drug bender with a 20 year old girl who was either the daughter of a family friend or a friend of one of his sons. Ablett was around 40 at the time. He gave the girl a cocktail of drugs including heroin which he told her was cocaine. They were in a motel and went to sleep. In the morning Ablett found the girl dead and absconded only to hand himself into the police with his solicitor 5 days later. Ablett was never charged and yet is responsible for her death. A few years later he gets the centre pages of the Herald Sun newspaper telling everyone about how sinful they are and how this has led to social decay, blah blah.. Fucking hypocrite moron. A few years ago he was interviewed by a prominent journalist who said Ablett had his mobile phone wrapped in tin foil so nobody could listen in on him. The bloke should be permanently incarcerated in a mental facility.
Ablett was always such a private person, great interview by another great, Ron Barassi! Who cares about his personal and private life, that's exactly where it should lie - "his" personal and private life. Don't we all have skeletons in our own cupboards? Ablett will always go down in my books as one of the greatest players of all time.
Football players getting high and playing footy been going on for years in the 70 speed use was rampant widespread and tolerated don't tell me otherwise inside information .
WOW I saw the Alex popescu room in this video and then goggled it and it's a Romanian guy 👦 who provided the wood to help build the stadium and even pay staff during a hardship period.
7:05 Interesting take by Gaz Sr there, talking about how "footy has changed over the last 10-15 years" in terms of physicality and him alluding to it being "softer". This interview was in 1996!! So let's think about how much softer it's gotten since 1996 to present day 2021!?? The rules now suck too, man on the mark rule. Marks were paid a lot easier in the 90's too.. It's crazy how much the game of Aussie rules has evolved.
In All Honesty,the Ablett family will ALWAYS be Hawks.Irrespective what Jumper they wear.But I am glad Gary Jnr is playing at Geelong.Our Regards and Best Wishes to ALL the Ablett Family. Greg Buckenara.
Speaks very well when he chooses to does gary, if he chose to could be a terrific public speaker considering the problems that have happened in his life and the messages that he could portray to others
Summed him up to a tee imo. If he hadn't been a successful pro footballer he'd have been a crim. Not a mastermind but an 'articulate' standover guy..."now can you please tell me where the stash is....or do want another one? (i.e king-hit).
The best of the baby boomers and most creative forward who ever played. One of the few forwards who actually got out and got his own kicks being interviewed by the best of the previous generation and the creator of the modern ruck rover. Two great Victorians
Scraping the bottom of the barrel. Met him down in Hobart in 2015 at the Salamanca markets at a local cafe. Tried to cut the line in front of me. Total flog.
Gary Ablett Snr might be a 1st rate footballer ,but he is 3rd rate human being leaving that poor young women to die. I think Gary Jnr is a far better player and most importantly a far better man than he will ever be
I'd never seen this before. Been a Geelong supporter my entire life. Absolutely love it, so thank you for posting this ... Gary Jnr is now the best player in the league and I don't begrudge him leaving Geelong ... For the money he was offered I would have grown wings and flew away that day ;-) He's the greatest player ever in my opinion Mr Senior. Thank You for everything you gave me as a child.
Yep....he missed out because his team went the biff rather than trying to win the '89 GF. Then he sucked balls in the other three GFs he played in. What a legend!! No silverware to his name in a team sport. Only a solo medallion...WAAH! Effing useless in my book. Over rated Hawthorn reject. Hahahaha! He went alright though, the old Gaz....got on the pills, the coke and killed a young girl with an OD. Got away with it too. Now he's suing everyone for brain damage. What a great bloke.
Both damaging powerful players that stood in a class of there own . You can’t judge a player solely on Brownlows , Norm Smith , Flags whatever . Wayne Carey is considered amongst the top few of all time and he doesn’t have Brownlow or Norm Smith either .
You’ve got to be kidding me surely?!?! Martin doesn’t have one single attribute over the great man. If they went one on one against each other Gary would destroy him. It’d be like a boy playing on a man. Gary was an explosion of biological evolution. A once in a century athlete. A phenomenon. And I follow Carlton.
Had Gary Ablett stayed a Hawthorn player all of his career before moving to Geelong I think Hawthorn would have won 7 flags instead of 4 in that 80s decade.
It would be a frightening proposition and probably the best forward line ever assembled in VFL/AFL history. By the time Brereton's body would break down, Ablett would very likely take over that position. Dunstall & Ablett, along with Jarman, Hudson . . . . brilliant!
@@footylovr Yes definitely. It would have been a great side to watch and this is coming from a North Melbourne supporter. I've always had a soft spot for Hawthorn as they are sort of my second team. It goes back to the rivalry North had with Hawthorn in the mid to late 70s. Watching players like Peter Knights, Leigh Matthews, Malcolm Blight, Keith Greig, Phil Baker, in the same games for me were always great games to watch back in the day. I wish Gary Ablett would have been a North player, playing along side Wayne Carey . Hypothetically that would have been great to see as well. And the great Leigh Matthews was a North supporter as a kid, I wish he played for North along side Blight,Greig, Schimma. Would have won 3-4 flags between 1975-1983 instead of 2 flags in that period
@@andrewandy137 I had a chat with Denis Pagan about this topic not too long ago. Just to get an idea of how Pagan's Paddock would have played out and he said when you have players of that ability, they just find a way to naturally work it out together. From a speculative view point, one would envision Carey playing a bit deeper than we he did. Ablett would roaming up the wing and half forward flanks with Carey isolated one-on-one which would have been game over for most defenders. Having said that, Longmire/Carey worked out pretty well. And so did McKernan/Carey for that matter.
@@footylovr Yes agreed the Longmire Carey McKernan combo worked really well at North during the Pagan era. I wish Adrian McAdam could have become a consistent star player at North. His first season of 68 goals in 17 games was just awesome. He potentially could have become one of the greatest indigenous half forwards of all time had he kicked on from his 1993 season .
@@andrewandy137 McAdam, what a freak. Always disappointing seeing such talented individuals walk away before their careers even kicked off. Darren Wheildon, Allen Jakovich, Nathan Ablett, quite a few more in earlier era's gone by. Of course, on the flip side, we have missed out seeing the same brilliant type players who succumbed to early career-ending injuries.
