The Gazette | The prodigal son returns. Former AFL superstar Gary Ablett Jr will play a one-off game for Drouin Football Club next month, bringing his famous family’s legacy in the town full circle.
Ablett will feature as a part of the club’s ‘Indigenous Day with guest player Gary Ablett Jr’ in the Hawks’ July 15 home match against Morwell, as the club pays tribute to indigenous culture with a specially designed guernsey and other activities.
Ablett played 357 AFL games for both Geelong and Gold Coast, winning two premierships, two Brownlow Medals and numerous other accolades in that time.He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players in the history of the sport.
The Ablett family has been linked to the Drouin Football Club for decades, with Ablett’s father Gary Ablett Sr - also considered a great of the game - famously beginning his esteemed career in the maroon and gold and even winning a premiership with them in 1978. Many other Abletts have also passed through the Hawks Nest, giving Ablett’s one-off appearance for the club all the more meaning.