Dear Gary,

When I was last in Canberra I compared you to Black Caviar and urged people to come out and watch you this week at StarTrack Oval because you never know how many more chances you may get to watch one of the greats of the game.

Little did I know that just a few days later Black Caviar would be retired! I trust you are not going to follow her lead any time soon.

I say so because I've been lucky enough to have seen you and your father, Gary Ablett Senior. I don't  know if he ever played in Canberra but I have no doubt all sports lovers there will be out in force to watch you this weekend.

I am not sure you even realise what a big drawcard you are. You made a courageous decision to leave Geelong and head north to one of the AFL's newest clubs. It has given people around Australia - such as Canberra - an opportunity to appreciate your talents. The game is the winner.

That's why people in Canberra should get out and watch you this weekend because you never know if you will get the opportunity again. Will the Suns even play in Canberra next year? What a great thing for people to be able to tell their children and their grandchildren that they watched you play.

This is also a big match this weekend because it was in this corresponding fixture last year that the GIANTS recorded their first ever win in the AFL. What an unforgettable day it was for us and I have no doubt you will be out for revenge.

As the AFL's two newest clubs, the GIANTS-Suns is going to develop into one of the biggest rivalries in our game. Who knows where it will head in years to come and this weekend Canberra gets to experience it.  And you.

I've been lucky enough to see some great father-son combinations in our game - Sergio and Stephen Silvagni, Ken and Dustin Fletcher and Tim and Jobe Watson are just a few that come to mind.

Who would have thought when I plucked young Dustin out of school to play for the Bombers back in 1993 that 20 years later he would still be going strong? That was the year I apparently tanked by playing a bunch of kids and ended up winning the premiership. Some tank.

And who could ever forget that game at the MCG back in 1993 when Essendon played Geelong and your father kicked 14 goals. It was the same day Paul Salmon kicked 10 and the Bombers managed to win.

To this day I can still picture Gary Ablett Snr flying over packs and kicking those long trademark goals of his. He probably had four or five opponents that day including a young James Hird. But nobody could stop him. He was the Elvis Presley of football.

And now you are starting to eyeball him. It's no mean feat. You are certainly right up there as one of the best father-son combinations our game has seen. Perhaps sport has seen.

There will be people who have kicked themselves over the past fortnight that they didn't see Black Caviar when they had the chance. I am sure the people of Canberra won't make the same mistake when it comes to you.

I am still hoping Bluey McKenna might take up John Longmire's suggestion and play you in a back pocket. Mind you, it probably wouldn't matter. Like Gavin Wanganeen you'd be a star wherever you played.

See you Saturday.

Regards,
Sheeds