ABLETT HAPPY TO DRAW LINE UNDER AFL CAREER
Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Courtesy of 'Inside Football'

When the end came for Luke Ablett, he accepted it with the grace that made him such a respected figure at the Sydney Swans.

Yes, there was disappointment he couldn't continue his 133-game career at a club where he'd made so many friends and to which he helped deliver the 2005 premiership.

But there was no rancour or bitterness. He said he wanted to leave on good terms.

Ablett also came to think there were many other things in life other than football and, at 26, it was a good time to start pursuing them.

``You give up a fair bit to play in the AFL and I was happy to do that,'' the Box Hill Hawks' major signing said last week.

``But you have to move on. I want to get an education (he is  enrolled in international studies) and travel and generally relax and have fun and do what I didn't do when I was 19 or 20.''

Music is getting more of his attention. He likes the alternative scene and rattled off a list of bands he'd seen recently and others he hoped to see soon. Wilco is a favourite, particularly the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

``Awesome,'' he said.

He applied the same word  to summarise his nine years as a Swan, a period that took in two unforgettable grand finals against West Coast. Ablett's style mirrored Sydney's: no razzle-dazzle but aggressive, determined and  persistent.

Injuries, however,  got the better of him. After three seasons considerably leaner than those before it, Paul Roos decided that Ablett, part of the leadership group, was dispensable to his plans to reinvigorate the Swans.

Coach and player spoke about a role for  2010 and  Roos suggested Ablett could act as a mentor for young players in the reserves.

``The final conversation I had with Roosy  was along the lines of, if I play well six weeks in a row will I get picked in the seniors and the answer was really no, I'd have to wait for an injury to force my way into the team.

``I couldn't really justify the work and the stress and the effort to not be a chance to play senior footy. So that kind of made the decision easy for me. I didn't really want to go through it all to play Canberra footy.''

Ablett was later touted as a mature-age rookie at the Gold Coast. He met its officials but in the end he was unfussed about a move further north.

``As  I came to terms with not being at the Swans, I kind of questioned whether it was what I wanted to do any more,'' he said. ``I guess at the end of the day I was happy for that to be it. I've done what I've done in the AFL and I'm happy with that. I can finish up reasonably  pleased with what I put in and what I got out. I was lucky enough to be involved with a club that had five or six years of success.''

Ablett, originally a Gippsland boy, returned to Melbourne and spoke to a few VFL clubs. But he said he was always keen on Box Hill. The Hawks had chased him up as soon as they learned he would be leaving Sydney. ``It was
nice to  feel wanted!'' he laughed.

At the City Oval, he's a young man among many younger men, noting that 75 percent of the players are under the age of 21.

He's been given a mentoring role, giving guidance to Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn players in the VFL team, and working with the coaches. He's enjoying bouncing ideas off Hawks coach Brendon Bolton.

Ablett thinks it's a sturdy base if he decides to chase coaching opportunities down the road.

As for getting a kick: ``I'm looking forward to playing footy with a little bit less stress. Having said that I'll be taking  it seriously. We want to have a really good year at Box Hill.''