Yes
He is free to leave the Suns anytime he likes.
But he isn’t free to play at the Cats.
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Ms Ablett had ongoing health battles and had been seeking treatment for schizophrenia.
It is understood to be a driving factor in Ablett’s desperate pleas to return to Geelong.
That is not very nice.
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Neither is it nice for blaming others for the choices we make.
It’s sad for anybody to lose a loved one but hardly fair to blame the GC football club or the president for it.
We put far to much value in money in today’s society.
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Garry copped it from everyone and I too was cynical and now I remind myself not to judge too quickly.
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Sad situation for the Ablett family. Hope they can find some comfort keeping close knit.
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I agree with you about money, but it is a lot easier to make a clear decision if your employer is supportive of your need to prioritise your family.
Walking away from the GCS would have left them with nothing, which I would think Gary would have been uncomfortable with given he made a commitment to them which he chose to honor this year.
You can accuse Gary of staying for money, but when you are under pressure to honor your contract when you have been the face of the club since its inception, it would be a difficult decision to leave on bad terms.
The fact that his sister was suffering from mental health issues does make the urgent need to return home less clear cut because it is not as obviously a life threatening illness, although, tragically, it obviously turned out that way.
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Gold Coast come off as a pack of arseholes - just for a change.
Can’t think of many worse things to go through, and I think I read he’s hoping to start a family this year. There’s always going to be regret and guilt but he would be beating himself up even more that his kid/s wont meet their aunt.
Come home Gary.
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I totally agree.
I think it’s a terribly sad situation for all and I’m glad he’s decided to prioritise what is important in life.
The point I was trying to actually make but obviously unsuccessfully is, that it’s incredibly unfair to point the finger at GC and/or the president when the person who has the most control is Gazza himself.
From the quotes I have read from Gazza it appears that he recognises that there is more to life and he wants to be there for his family. I wish him all the best.
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Wow.
Ultimately, Gold Coast is run by the AFL. I’d hope all employees get more sympathy when trying to get a transfer to another state to support family in a time of need than Gary did. Not just the “sorry, live with it or quit” attitude you obviously had towards his plight
Wow. You’re a d/ck.
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They were very accommodating of him travelling to Melb more often to be with his family.
But the small trips here and there aren’t the same obviously.
Irregardless of Gary’s move to he Gold Coast and if it was money / career orientated or not.
That is a ■■■■■■ farking thing for one human being to say about another person.
No matter what he has done in his footballing life, that is a pathetic statement to make.
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Yep, I probably went to far. Happy to put my hand up.
All I was trying to say was it’s also a gutless remark to put it on GC and the president like some of the other guys were.
Melbourne went through something very similar with Hogan and we are going through something similar with Francis.
Not everything is black and white in this world and I don’t think we have to find an enemy in a sensitive situation.
It happens in everyday life all the time.
AFL sends out “best wishes” tweet.
How could they not know?
If they didn’t it’s almost as bad!
Hold moly really?!
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GC did give Gary time away from footy though.
Didn’t they let him stay longer on Melbourne trips through the year?
Also recall the media getting stuck into him for rehabbing in Melbourne earlier on in the year.
I actually respect Ablett for the way he handled the criticism earlier this year. He could have told everyone what he was going through (which he did partially) but in reality he shouldn’t need to explain himself in public about his sister.
People should have just backed the fark away and given him the space he needed.
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We all sometimes make mistakes on platforms where people can’t hear tone, use body language and the words sometimes read worse than you intended.
All good bud.
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You put your hand up and then justify yourself in the next breath…
I’m sure a Gary would’ve conveyed more to Gold Coast than the general public yet Cochrane still responds like this in March this year…
Also you can’t compare Hogan and Francis to Ablett either.
…
Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane has told Gary Ablett he will under no circumstances be allowed to leave the club before his contract expires.
Speaking to Channel Nine on Thursday night, Cochrane said he had categorically told Ablett he will have to see out his contract until the end of the 2018 season.
“He’s a required player here and he’s very much part of the fabric of this club,” Cochrane said.
"Gary’s the real deal.
"I’m of the belief that he’ll want to be playing in '18 here because of our results in '17.
“Gary Ablett is a required player at the Gold Coast Suns, full stop.”
Asked if he was there was no circumstance in which he would allow Ablett to leave, Cochrane said: “Correct.”
…
So here is Cochrane talking about Gary wanting to stay after he saw Gold Coasts results in 2017… They could’ve won the premiership and Gary still would’ve wanted to be with his family.
I agree we don’t need to find an enemy, but in the same respect, I hope everyone here has a better boss and employer than Cochrane cause he is really something.
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I really don’t think we looking in can judge what went on. Ablett played 3 of the last 10 games of the season. Who is to say that the injury he sustained was not infact the club giving him time to be with his sister.
Cochrane might be an idiot, but he is just doing what everyone else does when they have a contracted player they want to keep wanting to go. Pointing to the contract. I dare say GC want Geelong’s pick 21. Hence the narrative recently about Geelong taking it to the draft.
GC probably want pick 21 for Ablett and 23 or 25 with perhaps some junk pick trading. Geelong probably are thinking pick 34 on its own. Which does SFA for GC given the shallow draft and GCs number of picks in the top 30.