Steve Johnson says he would be ok with Geelong bringing Gary Ablett back, despite the being moved on by the club two years ago.
Ablett will be 34 at the start of next season, which has seen many suggest his recruitment would go against Geelong's philosophy in recent years, which has seen the likes of Jimmy Bartel, Paul Chapman, James Kelly and Steve Johnson all moved on by the club.
Triple Hawthorn premiership player, Brian Lake, said last month it would be a slap in the face to the aforementioned Geelong champions if Ablett came back to the Cattery given his age.
“For me, should (Ablett) go back to Geelong? I’d be pretty upset if I was Jimmy Bartel and you’ve got a guy like Gary Ablett coming back for a year or so when Jimmy wanted to keep playing at the age of 32-years-old but (the Cats) wanted to play the young kids,” Lake said.
“I think it’d be a backwards step for Geelong.”
However, speaking on Channel Seven's AFL Game Day, Johnson, now with the Giants, said he would not have a problem with the recruitment if it were to happen.
“Yeah there’s got to be (an exception made for Ablett),” Johnson said.
“That name is just infamous with the Geelong footy club.
“I don’t think Jimmy (Bartel) or myself would have an issue with them bringing in a 34-year-old of Gary’s calibre.”
Bartel echoed Johnson's sentiments.
“His dad has a grandstand named after him, so the Ablett name and Geelong goes hand-in-hand,” Bartel said on Game Day.
Ablett requested a shock trade back home to Geelong last season for personal reasons, but the request was denied by the Suns and he appears to do the same at the end of this season.
