UPDATE 10.40am: GEELONG star Gary Ablett will today announce football's worst kept secret - that he is leaving the Cats.
In yet another body blow for Geelong, Ablett will tell the football world that he is signing a five-year, $9.5 million deal at the Gold Coast.
As the Herald Sun revealed today, Ablett has been holidaying in the Whitsundays where he has been telling fellow holidaygoers of his intention.
It will rock the Cats, who have lost president Frank Costa this week and are likely to lose coach Mark Thompson to burnout.
The Cats had been hopeful the potential change of coach might sway Ablett but it seems his decision was made months ago.
His manager, Liam Pickering, was meeting with Geelong officials this morning to break the news.
It is likely Ablett will captain the AFL's newest team in 2011, although this was not raised in his discussions with the Suns.
But AFL chief Andrew Demetriou said he he wouldn't believe reports Ablett will be pocketing $1.9 million-a-year at the Suns.
"It is just incomprehensible under our salary cap provisions for a player to be earning 25 per cent of the cap," he said.
The Cats will receive two first-round picks as compensation, but they can only use them in the first round of the draft in two years under the Suns' complicated compensation formula.
The Gold Coast has an additional $1 million allowance in its salary cap next season, and $800,000 extra in its 2012 salary cap.
Ablett will now become easily the AFL's highest paid player, ahead of Carlton skipper Chris Judd, who signed a six-year deal worth $1 million per season when he left West Coast to join the blues. Fellow AFL captains, Jonathan Brown, Nick Riewoldt and Matthew Pavlich, earn comparable annual sums.
The Gold Coast made a pitch to Ablett as far back as last December, when he met with Suns officials in a secret meeting at a Broadbeach apartment complex. Geelong had already put forward its best offer, believed to be about $4million over five years,
Ablett leaves Geelong as a dual premiership player, who has placed first, second and third in the Brownlow Medal.
He becomes the sixth uncontracted playert to join the Suns, after Campbell Brown, Nathan Bock, Jarrod Harbrow, Michael Rischitelli and Nathan Krakouer.
He is believed to have returned to Melbourne, where he will make the announcement and explain his decision at 12.30pm today at Crown Casino.
Geelong football manager Neil Balme said he knew nothing about Ablett's intentions when approached by the Herald Sun this morning.
"I honestly don’t know anything about it," Balme said.
"When we know something, I’ll be happy to say something."
The decision will provoke fan fury at Geelong, with supporters already outraged at the prospect of losing their biggest star.
Acting Premier and Geelong fan Rob Hulls said Ablett had been a great servant to the club and city, and that both should now look forward.
"We shouldn't dwell on it," he said.
Geelong legend and Brownlow medallist Paul Couch said he thought the Gold Coast’s bumper pay packet was too hard to refuse.
"I would have loved for him to stay, but … he’s a young kid (and) you’ve only got a short time period in your life where you make some money like that,’’ he said.
"He’s been there all his life, since he was a kid so it’s a bit disappointing in that way, but I can understand, yes.
"If you can you may as well do it.’’
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he had been preparing for bad news, but hearing it was devastating.
"I’m considering draping the town hall in black,’’ Mr Doyle said.
"But, then again, I do wish him all the best.
"It is a funny thing when you see the reigning premiers, let’s never forget that, losing a president, a coach and our best players in a short space of time. It’s certainly a challenge.’’
State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu, a keen Geelong fan, said he thought the move was good for Ablett but not so great for football.
"I just reckon there is still an emotional demotion to football, which is about club loyally, which is about club growth and about growing young people and it’s about putting into a community - Geelong is a very strong community-based club – and to have somebody taken away for what appears to be a significant payment, which there’s no way Geelong could ever match, fuels messages that there’s something above and beyond all that,’’ Mr Baillieu said.
"I don’t attach any blame to Gary for doing that. Good luck to him.
"He’ll always be welcome at Geelong. Geelong had no control about it and that’s the disappointing part of it.’’
The news has come as no surprise to many Geelong supporters in Cat central.
De Grandi Cycle and Sport worker and Cats supporter Peter said he would hold no grudges against the Cat legend.
"I wouldn’t begrudge him. Even though his father played here and what not, I wouldn’t begrudge him or Bomber Thompson leaving,’’ he said. "I think they’ve both put in quite a few good years at the club and maybe it’s a good time for the club to have a bit of a shake-up."
Facebook is already awash with hundreds of comments from worried cats supporters.
"Goodbye bomber good bye ablett good bye cats," one writes. "F--k Geelong. No coach, no Ablett, I'm going to the pub to drown my sorrows!" another says.
The list goes on and on:
"Ablett gone????????thompson gone??????????????hinkley won't come here,he'll stay with ablett,if choco takes over or laidley,l'll die yuk!yuk!yuk."
"screw you ablett."
"hmmm ablett going , thompson going ... might follow the dees or the gold coast garys.."
Stephen Whitworth, chairman of the Modewarre Football Club, where Ablett played as a junior, said he wasn’t surprised the Brownlow medallist was going north.
Ablett has stayed involved with the Bellarine Football League club, taking the occasional training session.
Mr Whitworth said the club was proud of Ablett.
"You can’t get near the place (when he is here) because of all the cars,’’ Mr Whitworth said.
"Those who worked with him as a junior always speak very highly of him.
"There are people here he’s had a long relationship with. That won’t change.’’
Mr Whitworth said he hoped Ablett would inspire juniors at the club.
"It reflects well on the club, sure, and it reflects well on him too.
"He’s the one that’s done all the work and it’s a great credit to him.’’
It's been a horror week for Geelong, which has been bracing itself for the loss of the Brownlow medal winner. It also looks certain to lose dual premiership coach Mark Thompson.
Thompson, 46, has been granted compassionate leave, citing tiredness and burnout, as Essendon and new coach James Hird circle.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/cats-left-reeling-as-gary-ablett-and-mark-thompson-look-like-leaving-the-club/story-e6frf9ox-1225931557032
