Geelong and Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett has been honoured for his glittering contribution to the game, joining his father and namesake in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
On a night when West Australian great Bill Walker was officially elevated to Legend status, Ablett was named among the new inductees at Tuesday’s gala event in Melbourne.
West Coast premiership captain and coach John Worsfold, Essendon games record holder Dustin Fletcher, Indigenous champion David Kantilla, Port Adelaide goalkicking machine Tim Evans and five-time AFL grand final umpire Hayden Kennedy were also acknowledged.
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But during the broadcast fans watching at home could not help but notice a rather embarrassing and annoying issue as the greats of the game (or their family members) tried to recall their distinguished careers.
In the background, while those lucky enough to attend lapped up their fancy dinner and swilled their fancy wine, there was a rather loud clattering of cutlery on the fine Crown Casino crockery that somehow thundered through the broadcasters’ microphones all the way into people’s living rooms.
And irritated fans quickly took to social media to vent their frustrations.
“Are they interviewing him near the kitchen? All you can hear is cutlery and plates. Bit rude to hear unfortunately,” one fan blasted.
And another: “All I can hear is cutlery smacking crockery. Give them plastic plates for goodness sake, this is a legend induction!”
And another: “All I can hear in the background is cutlery being moved. Amateur stuff.” … And so it went.
Of course, it did not diminish the achievements of the new inductees.
Ablett, who retired in 2020 and became eligible for Hall of Fame induction this year, joined Geelong in 2001 as a father-son selection under huge pressure, given Gary Ablett Sr’s revered status at Kardinia Park.
But the son of “God” lived up to his name in two stints with the Cats, either side of seven seasons with Gold Coast as the expansion club’s marquee signing.
“The son of a champion, bore the same name, expectations quite rightly could be felt to be through the roof – but Gaz seemed quite disaffected by that,” Ablett’s Cats premiership teammate Tom Harley said in a video tribute.
“There’s the romance of the Ablett name and the Ablett family, but he carved his own identity very quickly.”
Ablett was crucial to Geelong’s rise to prominence and a key figure in a dominant midfield that powered the Cats’ premierships in 2007 and 2009 – the year he won his first Brownlow Medal.
He was lured north to be the face of the Suns for their debut season in 2011, captaining the club for six years, and snared the Brownlow again in 2013.
Dubbed ‘The Little Master’, Ablett returned to Geelong for 2018-2020, falling just short of a third premiership in his final game when he broke a shoulder in the opening five minutes of the grand final and the Cats were overrun by Richmond.
An eight-time All-Australian, Ablett was also named the AFL Players Association MVP five times and AFL Coaches Association champion player of the year three times.
Gary Ablett Jnr was emotional as he spoke to the room. Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images Ablett joins Cats premiership teammates Jimmy Bartel and Corey Enright in the Hall of Fame, with Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins almost certain to be included after they become eligible.
Ablett said it “means a lot” to join his reclusive father, who wasn’t present at the induction ceremony, in the Hall of Fame.
“Every now and then we’ll reflect back on our careers and everything we were able to achieve,” Ablett said.
“I know we get compared a lot. I think we were very different players and I don’t like to compare players.
“Each player brings something to the game that maybe another player doesn’t and Dad could do things that I couldn’t, and I got to win a Brownlow, which he didn’t.”
Ablett Sr was inducted in 2005 for his football feats, having kicked 1031 goals in 248 games, despite off-field trouble in his life.
Worsfold was captain of West Coast’s first two premierships in 1992 and 1994, before coaching the club to the 2006 flag.
John Worsfold with his Hall of Fame certificate. Credit: Getty He also coached Essendon for five seasons, initially as a steadying figure during the 2016 “top-ups” year after James Hird was sacked.
Fletcher was part of the famous ‘Baby Bombers’ premiership side in 1993 and won a second flag with Essendon under Kevin Sheedy in 2000, before going on to become the fourth player to play 400 AFL/VFL games.
South Adelaide and St Mary’s great Kantilla is recognised as the first Indigenous player to feature in the SANFL.
Kantilla, who died in 1978, played 113 games for South from 1961-1966 and an estimated 180 with St Mary’s, as well as four appearances for South Australia in state games.
Evans, originally from Tasmania, spent four seasons with Geelong before making a name for himself as a champion forward with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, winning four premierships.
He played 232 games for the Magpies and kicked 1019 goals – behind only Hall of Fame Legend Ken Farmer.
Field umpire Kennedy officiated in 495 AFL/VFL games, plus three state games, and was AFL umpires coach from 2013-2021. His tally included 39 finals and five grand finals.
Walker’s elevation as the game’s 34th Legend was announced in February ahead of the AFL State of Origin fixture in Perth.
He is a four-time Sandover Medal winner and was named Swan Districts’ best-and-fairest five times, playing 305 games for the WAFL club from 1961-1976 for three premierships.
Walker also played 21 state games for WA and was named in Swans’ team of the century.
– With 7NEWS.com.au