Despite playing just 34 games over the last three seasons, Gary Ablett believes he is still capable of playing a full slate of games in 2018, according to his manager Liam Pickering.
After suffering a minor hamstring tear last week, putting him in doubt for Geelong's pre-season games, Pickering said that while the injury is a setback, it still very much in his frame of mind.
"That's his expectation," Pickering told SEN Breakfast.
“Knowing Geelong, if he isn’t right, he won’t play. He thinks he will be right, and the club thinks he will be right.
“He had hamstrings last year, but he has never really had a history of them.
“He is trying to play in the game against Essendon in JLT 2, which was always the plan, but he isn’t going to be silly about it."
Understandably, the 33-year-old won't force his body to play to prove his longevity but his pre-season thus far had been faultless so far, according to media reports.
“If he thinks it’s a risk, he won’t play, so he can play round one. He will be fine.
“It’s a disappointment that you’ve had such a perfect preseason and then you’ve had a little setback like that.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal, he doesn’t seem worried at all, he said it’s fine.
“It’s not ideal, considering he hasn’t missed a trick so far.”
