Geelong captain Joel Selwood has revealed that the son of Cats legend Gary Ablett Jr will run out through the banner with the team in Saturday’s AFL grand final.
Selwood will run out in an AFL-record 40th final when Geelong takes on Sydney in the decider, with the Cats hoping to win their first premiership since 2011.
Speaking on SEN, Selwood revealed that Ablett’s son Levi would be joining him on the ground.
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”I’ll let you in on a little secret, his son’s going to run out with me tomorrow which is pretty special,” Selwood said.
“I think it’s only fair that an Ablett is performing on Grand Final day and it’s Gaz’s turn to cheer on his little son. That’ll be pretty special for the Ablett family but also the Geelong faithful.”
Geelong’s last trip to the big dance in 2020 was the final game in Ablett’s illustrious career, with the Cats unable to give their legend a fairytale finish after being overrun by Richmond.
“It’s an important day. When Gary went out of the game it was pretty hard,” Selwood recalled.
“We were up north and our fans probably haven’t got to thank him and the family enough, so we thought that it was just a little kind gesture we could send their way.”
Ablett’s son was diagnosed with a rare degenerative illness at birth, with his wife Jordan revealing earlier this year that the illness had left her son unable to communicate.
The man who last lifted the premiership cup as Geelong captain, Cameron Ling, will be on hand to present the cup to Selwood if the Cats are successful on Saturday.
Ling, who played alongside Ablett and Selwood in the 2007 and 2009 premiership wins, was left emotional by the news that Ablett’s son would be running out with the team.
“That’s fantastic … that’s brilliant, it’s given me goosebumps,” he said.
“The Ablett family is famous at the Cats, we know that, but Gary and Jordan are just beautiful people.”
The AFL grand final will get underway at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday at the MCG, with Geelong aiming to win its 10th VFL/AFL premiership. Sydney is aiming for its fifth flag.
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