Geoff Ablett

Last updated

Geoff Ablett
Personal information
Full name Geoffrey Norman Ablett
Date of birth (1955-03-13) 13 March 1955 (age 68)
Original team(s) Drouin
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 80 kg (176 lb)
Position(s) Wing
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1973–1982 Hawthorn 202 (135)
1983–1984 Richmond 016 0(12)
1985 St Kilda 011 00(6)
Total229 (153)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1985.
Career highlights
  • Hawthorn premiership player (1976, 1978)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Geoff Ablett (born 13 March 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1970s and 1980s, and later a local government councillor and Liberal Party candidate for state office, who was found by an anti-corruption investigation to have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a controversial property developer in exchange for favourable planning decisions. [1]

Contents

Football career

Ablett spent the majority of his career with Hawthorn, playing 202 games on the wing. Ablett finished with short stints at Richmond and St Kilda. His younger brother Gary Ablett Sr is a Hall of Fame inductee. A third brother, Kevin, also played for Hawthorn, Richmond and Geelong. Geoff Ablett was known for his burst of speed as player, winning the Grand Final Sprint competition four times. [2]

Politics and anti-corruption investigation

In December 2008 and 2013, Ablett was elected mayor of City of Casey Council, one of Victoria's biggest councils.

Ablett was the unsuccessful Liberal Party candidate for the Electoral district of Cranbourne at both the 2010 [3] and 2014 Victorian state election. [4]

Ablett was a councillor at the City of Casey when it was dismissed in 2020. [5] This dismissal of the council followed an investigation by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission into “allegations property developer John Woodman paid City of Casey councillors in exchange for favourable planning votes.” The hearing heard that Ablett “received more than $300,000 from Mr Woodman”, including “$5,000 a month to look after” a racehorse that Mr Woodman was a part owner of. Mr Ablett responded that racehorses “are very expensive to keep.” [6]

In July 2023, Ablett was named as a key figure in IBAC's Operation Sandon report. He was found to have promoted local developer John Woodman's interests on council in exchange for payment, having 'received more than $500,000 in payments and other financial benefits from Mr Woodman between 2010 and 2019.' Mr Woodman also made donations to Ablett's campaigns when he was the Liberal Party candidate for Cranbourne in 2010 and 2014. [7] [8]

Personal life

Ablett is the brother of AFL legend Gary Ablett. [9]

His son Ryan, who was once rookie listed at Hawthorn, died in 2009 at the age of 27. [10]

Statistics

[11]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals  
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds  
  H  
Handballs  
  M  
Marks
SeasonTeamNo.GamesTotalsAverages (per game)
GBKHDMTGBKHDMT
1973 Hawthorn 270571879170.00.710.11.111.32.4
1974 Hawthorn 225202936481445650.81.214.63.217.82.6
1975 Hawthorn 222141930443347600.60.914.52.016.52.9
1976 Hawthorn 223112236555420580.51.015.92.418.32.5
1977 Hawthorn 22481539578473750.30.716.53.319.73.1
1978 Hawthorn 225152135491445620.60.814.23.617.82.5
1979 Hawthorn 216112423167298460.71.514.44.218.62.9
1980 Hawthorn 219162327496370660.81.214.45.119.53.5
1981 Hawthorn 217192327362335431.11.416.13.619.72.5
1982 Hawthorn 2242126360131491890.91.115.05.520.53.7
1983 Richmond 4588702191151.61.614.04.218.23.0
1984 Richmond 4114914625171310.40.813.32.315.52.8
1985 St Kilda 151161018731218380.50.917.02.819.83.5
Career229153234339478941836650.71.014.93.518.32.9

Notes

  1. https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/27/victorian-mps-and-two-councillors-accepted-money-and-donations-to-further-developers-goals-ibac-finds
  2. "Grand Final Sprint - Winners, Entrants, History - HARD BALL GET". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. "Cranbourne - 2010 Victorian Election - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation .
  4. "Cranbourne - Victorian Election 2014 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)".
  5. "Casey council sacked for four years as watchdog finds bullying, 'unacceptable behaviour'". 18 February 2020.
  6. "Developer at centre of corruption inquiry paid councillor $5k a month to look after horse that didn't race". ABC News. 28 November 2019.
  7. https://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/media/1174/download
  8. "IBAC Operation Sandon report news LIVE: Corruption watchdog tables report into allegations of corruption at City of Casey". The Age . 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023.
  9. https://www.sportingnews.com/au/afl/list/the-abletts-a-hierarchy-of-footballs-greatest-family-afl-gary-ablett-tuck-shane-travis-kevin-geoff-michael-senior-junior-geelong-cats-hawthorn-gold-coast/15lx48tk0djh61ok2p7swb2a9z
  10. Ablett family hit by tragedy
  11. Geoff Ablett's player profile at AFL Tables

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Casey</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The City of Casey is a local government area in Victoria, Australia in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a June 2018 population of 340,419. It has an area of 409 square kilometres (157.9 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Ablett Sr.</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1961

Gary Ablett Sr., is a former professional Australian rules footballer who represented Hawthorn and Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "God", Ablett is widely regarded as one of Australian football's greatest players, and was especially renowned for his high-flying spectacular marks and his prolific goalkicking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Ablett Jr.</span> Australian rules footballer

Gary Ablett Jr. is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). The eldest son of Australian Football Hall of Fame member and former Hawthorn and Geelong player Gary Ablett Sr., Ablett was drafted to Geelong under the father–son rule in the 2001 national draft and has since become recognised as one of the all-time great midfielders. Ablett is a dual premiership player, dual Brownlow Medallist, five-time Leigh Matthews Trophy winner, three-time AFLCA champion player of the year award winner and eight-time All-Australian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Ablett</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1982

Luke Ablett is a former Australian rules footballer with the Sydney Swans of the AFL. He is the son of former Hawthorn player Kevin Ablett, and nephew of Hawthorn player Geoff Ablett and Geelong player Gary Ablett.

Inga Peulich is an Australian politician. She was a member of the Legislative Council representing South Eastern Metropolitan Region from 2006 to 2018. From 2014 to 2018, Peulich served as the Victorian Liberal Party's Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Shadow Minister for Scrutiny of Government.

Michael Tuck is a seven-time premiership-winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Radio</span> Radio station in Cranbourne East, Victoria

Casey Radio 3SER is a non-commercial community radio station which caters to the greater south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral district of Cranbourne</span> State electoral district of Victoria, Australia

Cranbourne is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is located south-east of Melbourne and includes the suburbs of Botanic Ridge, Cranbourne, Cranbourne East, Cranbourne North, Cranbourne West, Junction Village, as well as parts of Clyde, Clyde North, Cranbourne South, Devon Meadows, Lynbrook and Lyndhurst. It was created prior to the 1992 state election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 AFL season</span> 111th season of the Australian Football League (AFL)

The 2007 AFL season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 30 March until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.

Matthew Jason Guy is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Parliament of Victoria since 2006, representing the Northern Metropolitan Region in the Legislative Council (2006–2014) and Bulleen in the Legislative Assembly (2014–present). He was Leader of the Opposition in Victoria and state leader of the Liberal Party from 2014 to 2018, when he resigned the leadership after the Liberal Party's landslide defeat in the 2018 Victorian election. From 7 September 2021, Guy again served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria, but he again resigned after another heavy defeat in the 2022 state election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 AFL Grand Final</span> Grand final of the 2008 Australian Football League season

The 2008 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 2008. It was the 112th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the Premiers for the 2008 AFL season. The match, attended by 100,012 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 26 points, marking that club's tenth premiership overall and first since 1991. Hawthorn's Luke Hodge was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.

The 2009 Brownlow Medal was the 82nd year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Gary Ablett of the Geelong Football Club won the medal by polling thirty votes during the 2009 AFL season.

Geoffrey Graeme Leigh is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, representing Malvern from 1982 to 1992 and Mordialloc from 1992 to 2002.

Gary James Rowe is an Australian politician. He was the Liberal member for Cranbourne in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 2002, and in 2012, he was elected as a councillor for Mayfield Ward in the City of Casey. Councillor Rowe was not re-elected to Casey City Council in October 2016, but was subsequently re-elected at a countback for Mayfield Ward in April 2017 after embattled Councillor Steve Beardon resigned just four months after being elected.

Lorraine Joan Wreford is an Australian politician, and was the member of Mordialloc in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2010 to 2014. She was Mayor of the City of Casey before defeating Janice Munt in the 2010 state election.

The history of the Geelong Football Club, began in 1859 in the city of Geelong, Australia, is significant as the club is the second oldest AFL club, is believed to be the fourth oldest football club in Australia and one of the oldest in the world and one of the most successful. Initially playing under its own rules, some of which, notably, were permanently introduced into Australian Football. It adopted the Laws of Australian Football in the early 1860s after a series of compromises with the Melbourne Football Club.

The Ablett family is one of the most prominent in Australian rules football, with many members playing in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission</span> Australian police oversight organisation

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is Victoria's anti-corruption agency with jurisdiction over the public sector. It does this by:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Geelong Football Club season</span> Football club season

The 2018 season was the Geelong Football Club's 119th in the Australian Football League (AFL). It was the club's eighth season under senior coach Chris Scott, with Joel Selwood appointed as club captain for a seventh successive year. Geelong participated in both the inaugural AFLX competition and the 2018 JLT Community Series as part of their pre-season schedule, and the club's regular season began on 25 March against Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Cats finished the home-and-away season with a 13–9 win–loss record and placed eighth on the league's ladder, qualifying for the 2018 finals series as a result. Geelong were defeated in an elimination final against Melbourne by 29 points, and therefore did not progress past the first finals week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Geelong Football Club season</span> Football club season

The 2019 season was the Geelong Football Club's 120th in the Australian Football League (AFL). It was the ninth season under senior coach Chris Scott, with Joel Selwood appointed as club captain for an eight successive year. Geelong participated in the 2019 JLT Community Series as part of their pre-season schedule, and the club's regular season began on 22 March against Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Cats finished the home-and-away season with a 16–6 win–loss record and placed first on the league's ladder, earning Geelong their first minor premiership since the 2008 season. Progressing to the third week of the 2019 finals series, Geelong was subsequently defeated in a preliminary final against Richmond by 19 points, eliminating them before the 2019 AFL Grand Final.