Nathan Ablett is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Gold Coast and Geelong in the Australian Football League. A key forward, tall and weighing, Nathan is the youngest son of Gary Ablett Sr and the younger brother of Gary Ablett Jr. Although a standout junior footballer, Ablett chose not to play in the TAC Cup to avoid the media attention which accompanied the preceding careers of his father and brother. After spending a year playing in country leagues, Ablett agreed to sign for Geelong under the league's father-son rule and was selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2004 AFL Draft. Ablett made his AFL debut in 2005, and was part of the Premiership side in 2007. However, he announced his retirement from professional football at the conclusion of the 2007 season, citing a lack in desire to continue playing at the top level. Ablett made a short-lived return to the top flight when he joined brother Gary at the Gold Coast Suns in 2011, playing two games before being delisted at the conclusion of the season.
Early life
Though a gifted footballer, Ablett avoided media attention surrounding his junior career by choosing not to play in the TAC Cup. He eventually decided to pursue a career in AFL football, though wary of the pressures placed on him as the son of a former league superstar and brother of a rising talent. Regarded as a shy personality both on and off the field, Ablett rarely participated in media interviews.
AFL career
Ablett debuted midway through the 2005 AFL season after beginning his professional football career with the Geelong reserves team in the VFL. Nathan showed improvement as a player at the end of the 2006 season in the VFL team which contested the Grand Final. By 2007, Ablett cemented his position in the senior squad at full forward, and helped the Cats capture the 2007 AFL Premiership, booting three goals in the record breaking Grand Final win.
Retirement
On 30 November 2007, Ablett announced he was considering retirement from the game at the age of only 21, citing a lack of continuing passion for the game. This was not without precedent, as Ablett walked away from his TAC Cup team in 2003, but was eventually convinced to return to top level competition. Having been given until the start of 2008 to make a decision, Ablett decided on 7 January 2008 to walk away from AFL for at least one year, but didn't rule out a possible return at some stage. In May 2008, media outlets reported Geelong coach Mark Thompson as saying "I've spoken to him a few times and it's probably a bit late for this year, for him to play AFL, but that's not the real point, the point is he's missing footy and he is thinking about a return." Nathan re-commenced training with Geelong on 9 July 2008. Although he was expected to play in Geelong's VFL side in the later part of the 2008 season, an ankle injury, sustained from playing basketball, sidelined him for the remainder of the year. It was announced on 2 September 2008 that Nathan would not be pursuing an AFL career in 2009, instead choosing to become a plumber. However, he surprised many when he subsequently signed with the Broadbeach Cats to play in the AFL Queensland State League. Ablett returned to AFL football in 2011, playing for the Gold Coast Suns. His Suns debut came in Round 22 against Adelaide, 3 years and 325 days since his previous AFL appearance. On 5 September 2011 Gold Coast announced they had delisted Ablett from their playing list. He had played only two games for the Suns and kicked one goal. On 15 January 2012 it was reported that Ablett had signed with VFL side Werribee Tigers for the 2012 season.
