#garryablett #afl #australianfootball #aussierulesfootball
Everyone loved Gary Ablett Senior. His incredible leaps and thunderous kicks made every game he played a must-watch event. But, beyond the pitch, his personal life unfolded like a gripping Netflix series. Here we have the unbelievable
Gary Ablett was born on October 1, 1961 in Drouin to Alfred and Colleen Ablett and grew up in Gippsland, Victoria, with his four older brothers and three sisters. From a young age, he loved sports and even won the state school high jump at just 10 years old. He also earned the best-and-fairest awards for his local club, Drouin, at the under-11, under-12, and under-14 levels. Clearly, his future already seemed bright, just not in academics…
Gary soon lost interest in school and dropped out at 15 to become a bricklayer's laborer. But this gave him more time to focus more on football, so it all worked out for the better. He joined his brothers on the Drouin senior team at 16. After he played in some country league representative games, the Hawthorn Football Club invited him to play reserves football, where his older brothers Geoff and Kevin were already signed.
His next stage in life was a bit shaky. He played six reserves games before returning to Drouin, but came back to Hawthorn in 1981 to play senior football. But, he struggled to settle in the city and decided to leave after six uneventful games, moving to the country town of Myrtleford.