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As Geelong prepares for tonight’s qualifying final against the Lions, they have a ringing endorsement from one of their retired greats, Gary Ablett jnr, who thinks the Cats are in a prime position to win their 11th premiership.

Roy Ward caught up with the man still affectionately known as the “Little Master” as he cooled down after last week’s AFL Legend’s game at Marvel Stadium.

Between warmly meeting repeated requests for photos and autographs from fans, Ablett told this masthead his former club was timing its run perfectly.

“They are playing some really great footy at the moment, I think there are probably four or five teams that can win it and, for all teams, it is about peaking at the right time,” Ablett said.

“So club fitness staff and everyone involved in conditioning has got a really big job of making sure you are winning enough games to play finals football but also make sure you are peaking at the right time.

“I think they finished the season off well and they are a good chance to go on and win the premiership.”

Geelong’s loss to Richmond in the 2020 grand final was the 357th and final match of Ablett’s decorated career, which included 110 games at Gold Coast sandwiched between stints at Geelong.

Tonight one of his teammates from that grand final, Patrick Dangerfield, will pass Ablett, moving into 17th on the list of V/AFL games played.

The speed of the Cats’ ball movement has stood out in 2025, especially when Smith or Max Holmes are bolting through the lines, but Ablett said the speed of play had forced all players to lift.

“The game is faster than it has ever been,” Ablett said.

“The Cats move the ball so well, but I just think the speed of the game overall seems to be getting faster every year and gone are the days when you could get away with good footy IQ or just being a great athlete – I think you need to be both of them now.

“It’s exciting for the fans when the ball is moving fast and it’s high-scoring games, so no doubt the AFL will continue to work towards that.”