Ablett 'undecided' about leaving Cats
Gary Ablett remains undecided about a massive offer to join Gold Coast, his manager Liam Pickering says.
Pickering and the 2009 Brownlow Medallist will meet with Geelong over the next week to hear the Cats put their case in a bid to keep their star midfielder.
The 2010 All-Australian vice-captain gave an amazing performance on Friday night in the preliminary final at the MCG, gathering a game-high 40 possessions as the Cats went down to Collingwood 18.12 (120) to 11.13 (79).
It's the first time in four years Geelong haven't reached the AFL grand final, and the lure of more finals football to come will be a carrot for Ablett to stay with the Cats.
Gold Coast will join the competition next year as a new club with a talented young list, lots of money and high hopes.
"We'll meet the with Cats within the next week and have one last presentation from Geelong," Pickering told SEN Radio.
"No decision this week. We want to meet with Geelong later this week I would imagine."
Pickering said Ablett was genuinely undecided, despite the widely-held view that the 26-year-old onballer was heading north and was simply waiting for the right time to make the announcement.
Asked if it was a 50-50 ball game, Pickering said: "Absolutely.
"To do the right thing by everybody, you actually want to go face them (Geelong) again," Pickering added.
"I don't think it's an easy decision. I'm not trying to steer him anywhere.
"Let's put the numbers in front of him from Geelong and Gold Coast.
"I gave him a couple of pages of pros and cons and said have a think about it.
"You just never know, because everyone thinks they know."
Cats coach Mark Thompson, president Frank Costa and team-mate Matthew Scarlett said they had no inside knowledge on the four-time All-Australian's thoughts.
"We'd love him to stay, but we just don't know," Thompson said.
Scarlett said his two-time premiership team-mate faced a massive decision.
"If he knows, he hasn't shown it to us," the champion fullback said.
"If he wants to go that's his choice. We'd love him to stay."
Geelong president Frank Costa has told Ablett being a one-club player will set him up for life.
"I don't think we'll lose Gary. That's my personal opinion," said Costa.
"I don't know, because the arrangement we made with Gary's management was we wouldn't talk about it until after the last game.
"Personally if I was Gary's father or his adviser, I'd be saying 'stay here because you've got a hell of a future here in Geelong after football'.
"If he stays a one-club man for the rest of his life, for the next 40 or 50 years, his earning capacity as a human being in the environment of Geelong and district, with the aura around the Ablett name will be megabucks higher than if he goes to Queensland and he's not silly."
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