Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna confirmed his captain would likely be put on ice against the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn on February 23.
Ablett has missed a chunk of the pre-season with back and calf injuries but has put together a solid platform recently and played two thirds of the Intra-Club at Metricon Stadium.
The SUNS used 36 players in the contest and will pick 34 next week.
Ablett was his usual busy self on Thursday, but McKenna said he would build his way through the pre-season competition.
"We're going to pick our fittest side ... Gary's probably not going to play next week," McKenna said.
"Tom Lynch wouldn't play next week. Those blokes will go out of the round one side kicking and screaming but you've got to look at their conditioning."
Ablett trained strongly in the lead-up until Christmas – including the SUNS' two-week altitude training camp in Arizona – but came back from the break with a calf niggle that resulted in some time on the sidelines.
While he will sit out the first week, one player that will put on the Club's colours for the first time is under-age West Australian Jack Martin, who has been given permission to play in the NAB Cup.
As he has in game simulation training the past few weeks, Martin impressed in the intraclub with his effortless moving and precision kicking.
David Swallow and Harley Bennell also started with a bang, impressing McKenna.
"I thought some of the key areas we've focussed on really came out," he said.
"As our group has developed and got stronger, I thought our tackling today was the best I've ever seen. We don't need to be smashing blokes, but I thought when they needed to be tackled, they stayed tackled."
Gary Ablett is a $642,300 midfielder in NAB AFL Fantasy. Register your team at our AFL Fantasy Hub.
