He may be widely regarded as the best player in the game, and one of the best footballers to ever pull on a pair of boots, but Gary Ablett’s impact on the growth of the game in Queensland cannot be underestimated according to Marcus Ashcroft.
 
The Gold Coast SUNS General Manager of Football Operations is an ornament of the game in the sunshine state and is arguably the best person to discuss the subject. He believes Ablett’s decision to re-sign with the expansion side is a massive boost for the code in the rugby league heartland.
 
The battle for market share in Australian sport has never been fiercer with the emergence of soccer in the last decade and the increased professionalism of the football codes across the country. With Ablett as the face of the game on the Gold Coast, the AFL will continue to infiltrate the non-traditional football landscape.
 
“I think he’s huge, not only for the footy club but for footy in south-east Queensland and also for footy in Queensland,” Ashcroft told Melbourne radio station SEN on Tuesday evening.
 
“He’s obviously the number one player in the game and the most recognisable player throughout the whole of the country when it comes to AFL.
 
“A lot of the young kids who come through and play footy up here, which is not normally their number one sport, they can relate to Gary Ablett and they can come and watch him play at Metricon Stadium.
 
“From the point of view, we know he’s highly marketable, he’s recognisable, but for footy in our state it’s a massive boost.”
 
Rodney Eade’s side may not have walked away with the four premiership points on Sunday in Geelong, but the manner in which the side performed was a drastic change to the opening two games of the season.
 
Gallant defeats are no longer acceptable at Metricon Stadium, but Ashcroft is adamant the SUNS, under new coach Eade, are building the right framework for sustained success.
 
“We think that the pathway that we’re on now with a new coach in Rocket, we’ve made some structural changes with our coaching team, we think we’re on the right path,” Ashcroft said.
 
“We know the first two rounds weren’t ideal, but we think the way that our guys played on Sunday was a real turning point for getting back on track. We just need to have that as a baseline going forward.
 
“We think that the game plan Rocket’s brought and the hard-line he’s brought with some standards and expectations our guys will improve and start getting some wins on the board.”