New Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade has flagged Gary Ablett will spend less time in the midfield next season, but is confident the champion midfielder is going to lead the team in the "right way".
At his introductory press conference on Friday, Eade compared dual Brownlow medallist Ablett to basketball legend Michael Jordan, in that Jordan did not win with the Chicago Bulls until he had learnt to drag and educate his teammates to the "next level".
Ablett has two premierships with Geelong but with the Suns has had to assume far greater leadership responsibilities as captain.
As part of Eade's process, Ablett, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery, will likely spend more time as a damaging forward next season, if Eade's comments on Saturday become a reality.
"I don't know Gary that well but I would have thought I would be tapping into his years of experience and knowledge and I would like to think with his leadership he would be able to spread the load, and help spread the load and be able to help these younger players take the next step," Eade said.
"That's the sort of message I will talking to Gary about. With that, he might have to play, I suppose, a different role at times. I think he will be our main midfielder but, at the same time, I don't know what the percentages are, say it's 85, 90 per cent he plays in the midfield at the moment. If he can get down to 60 or 70, and can then share that load and be able to go forward - that will just be a conversation with Gary and we'll have a talk along the way."
In terms of Ablett's captaincy, AFL great and prominent media commentator Wayne Carey wrote in his Fairfax Media column through the 2014 season that "whispers from within the club's walls tell me that there is one rule for Ablett and one rule for the rest of the Suns players".
"They can be the smallest things, yet mean so much to an impressionable, young and talented group. Important to the team success is that the captain attends all team sessions; weights, ice baths, recovery and warm-up sessions, and also accepts criticism from the coach in front of the group," Carey wrote.
"The captain preferring to warm-up for training sessions by shooting hoops doesn't send the right message to the team. Although these sessions may not sound as important as his on-field leadership, they still have a profound effect on such a young group.
"I'm not suggesting that there is discontent at the Suns, but there is certainly whispers among the playing group that 'that's Gary and Gary can get away with it because, well, he's Gary.'"
Eade said he had yet to give any thought to suggestions there had been one rule for Ablett, the game's best player, and another for his teammates.
"I suppose as coach I am pretty consistent across the board. There are certain parameters players can play in. If they go outside those parameters, I don't think it matters if it's Gary Ablett or a first-year player," Eade said on Triple M on Saturday.
"Obviously, Gary, [with] the talent he has got, he will have a fair leeway to be able to back himself to be able to play - you don't want to stifle their ability and creativity about what they bring to the play."
Eade added: "I am not too sure if Gary is not there at every session but, certainly, players having time off, I am open to that with all players. We have to manage their loads and freshen them up at certain stages, but I would expect Gary, as captain, he is going to be around, he is going to be a leader the right way. I wouldn't like to pre-judge that. I would think that will be OK."
