He loves us, he loves us not

While Mrs Watson and I toil away at our up-coming season preview, I thought I’d take the chance to add my two cents to the over-flowing and diseased water fountain that is this most annoying of issues. And I've seen it all before.

Countless times in American sports I've watched a player get drafted, build a career with his original team and when his contract is up, he’s faced with a choice: (significantly) more money somewhere else, or the on-going comraderie of team-mates, the continued love of fans, the comfort of an established home base and the probability of more team success. And you know what 95% of players choose? Yep, the money. And that 5% is only there as my margin for error; I can’t actually recall one player giving the “home team discount”.

Now, is Australia’s culture different to that of the USA’s? No doubt, but we’re getting closer. Teams are doing pre-season training at high-altitude, players are crying after games [and spooning. Justin Koschitzke, I'm looking in your direction. - Mrs Watson] and clubs are employing full-time leadership consultants and psychologists. We’re about two years away from a “Some Kind of Monster” type documentary that follows the trials and tribulations of Matthew Knights, Jobe Watson and the Essendon leadership group as a clingy therapist clumsily takes part in handball drills and pleads his case for a spot in the forward pocket. But I digress.

Ablett, despite the heritage, has never struck me as particularly loyal, or connected to Geelong. Neither did his old man, for that matter. If, for example, GC17 came sniffing around Cameron Ling’s backdoor we would not be having this conversation: Ling would captain Geelong for $12.50 an hour and a Lamby’s VIP card. But Ablett? He seems aloof enough to be able to walk away from Geelong with a completely clear conscience.

Now, on top of this, throw in these facts: At Geelong he has won two premierships, a club best & fairest, two AFL MVP awards, countless All-Australian selections and a Brownlow medal. In other words, he's done more than enough for the club and has nothing left to achieve in Geelong.

On the Gold Coast, being a much quieter AFL market than Melbourne, the reclusive Gary Jnr would be left alone to shop, surf and eventually appear in “Underbelly 8: Gold Coast Bikini Party”.

And did I mention his family lives there? That’s right, not only does Gaz Senior, aka God, now live up there, but his nut-job brother signed there in what Ari Gold would call a “family deal”. (Speaking of Entourage, I think we should refer to Nathan Ablett as Johnny Drama from now on.)

So, to recap: An aloof, recently single, media-shy star with nothing left to prove and no family connections left in Geelong has the chance to play with his brother, live in anonymity and spend his spare days on some of the world’s best beaches in 25 degree weather.

Oh, and the Gold Coast can pay him twice as much as Geelong (legally) can.

So long, Gary, we’ll always have Paris.