Coach has plans for Nathan Ablett
Nathan Ablett is at the forefront of Mark Thompson's plan to kick more goals next season.
Nathan Ablett is at the forefront of Mark Thompson's plan to kick more goals next season.Along with 18-year-old father-son recruit Tom Hawkins, Ablett is one of two young twin towers Thompson will have at his disposal to help correct what proved to be the senior side's major downfall last season.The senior coach said he would treat Hawkins, who in many experts' eyes was the best young draftee available this year, with kid gloves, but that 20-year-old Ablett was ready to cement a regular senior spot."Nathan to play and Tom we'll wait and see,'' Thompson said when asked about his hopes for the pair in 2006. "There's no doubt he (Hawkins) is one of the better players in this year's draft but in saying that he's only 18."Nick Riewoldt didn't play a game in his first year, I don't think, so we've just got to wait and see what he's capable of.''Gary Ablett was Geelong's leading goalkicker last season with 35, but it is his younger brother steeling himself to have a big impact in 2007 after a stand-out VFL finals campaign playing at centre half forward.Yesterday, Nathan was again a big forward focus, alongside the new-look Cameron Mooney and second-year flanker Ryan Gamble, during the Cats' first pre-season training session at the lush and green Geelong Baseball Centre.All three may this season help fill the void left by Kent Kingsley, who after four-straight years leading the Cats' goalkicking, left the club to continue his career elsewhere.Thompson said improving his players' run and carry was also a priority to give their forwards more space and more of a chance to kick goals."A lot of teams are attacking and running and carrying the ball and we've probably got to do more of that,'' he said."You've just got to take a few more risks and run and we are going to encourage our boys to do that and a lot of our training will be based around that.''Last year's disappointment is now fresh motivation for what is shaping up as an almighty pre-season.Thompson has nearly all the players available for the summer schedule, although Jarad Rooke, Andrew Mackie, Steve Johnson and Charlie Gardiner were all absent yesterday.Joel Reynolds, a fresh face from Essendon, immediately teamed up with old Bomber teammate Sam Hunt in a bid to re-ignite his AFL career at Geelong, as is ex-Magpie Adam Iacobucci.Thompson said the pair would be given an opportunity, but were no certainties to make the rookie list."We thought he (Iacobucci) was a pretty talented young man at draft time, two years ago I think, and he is quick and he's got a good character so we're going to give him a chance but we're not making any guarantees,'' he said.