As the Gary Ablett juggernaut clicked into gear in the second-half of Saturday night’s clash with North Melbourne, the football universe was provided with a timely reminder of what it had been deprived of for the best part of a year.
 
This time last year, the champion midfielder had 22 Brownlow votes to his name, with the most prestigious individual accolade in the game seemingly a mere formality. We all know what happened next and how the following twelve months have unfolded.
 
On Saturday night, with the blowtorch burning brightly after a brutal week, Ablett gradually built into his return game. He had nine touches in the opening half, with Ben Jacobs shadowing his every move.
 
After the main break, he picked up eight possessions in the third to show glimpses of his mastery. And then 14 disposals and two goals in the final stanza was the icing on the cake.
 
“It took me a bit to get going. You can be out there running as much as you want on the training track but it’s hard to get that match fitness. I’ll be better for it and (I’m) looking forward to next week,” Ablett told Fox Footy following Gold Coast’s 55-point win over North Melbourne on Saturday night.
 
The comprehensive performance against the Kangaroos was undoubtedly the SUNS’ best four-quarter effort of the season.
 
From the opening siren until the curtains were drawn, Gold Coast were relentless with their pressure, although as Ablett identified, Rodney Eade’s men must polish their foot skills, with poor skill execution at times hurting the SUNS.
 
“It was well needed, obviously with only the one win for the year. I just thought the effort was super tonight. Our pressure was great and I thought our ball movement was a lot better as well,” Ablett said.
 
“We stuck to the game plan and that’s what happens – you get the win when you do that.
 
“That’s something that we’re working on every single training session. The boys are starting to realise how important it is to hit targets. The good sides do that. So we’ll continue to work on that.”