Geoff Ablett
Geoff Ablett | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 13, 1955 |
| Occupation(s) | Australian rules footballer, local government councillor |
| Known for | VFL football career with Hawthorn, Richmond, St Kilda; mayor of City of Casey; involvement in anti-corruption investigation |
Geoff Ablett (born 13 March 1955) is a retired Australian rules football player who competed in the Victorian Football League (VFL) throughout the 1970s and 1980s. After his sporting career, he transitioned into local government as a councillor and stood as a candidate for the Liberal Party. An anti-corruption probe revealed that he accepted significant financial benefits from a contentious property developer in return for supportive planning decisions.
Football career
The majority of Ablett's playing years were spent with Hawthorn, where he appeared in 202 matches primarily occupying the wing position. He also had shorter periods playing for Richmond and St Kilda. His younger sibling, Gary Ablett Sr, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, while another brother, Kevin, played for Hawthorn, Richmond, and Geelong. Geoff gained recognition for his exceptional speed, securing victory in the AFL Grand Final Sprint on four occasions.
Politics and anti-corruption investigation
Ablett held the position of mayor for the City of Casey Council in both 2008 and 2013; this council is among Victoria's largest. He contested unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate for the Electoral district of Cranbourne in the Victorian state elections of 2010 and 2014.
During his tenure as councillor, the City of Casey was dissolved in 2020 following an inquiry by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). The investigation focused on claims that property developer John Woodman compensated councillors to secure favourable planning outcomes. Reports indicate Ablett received payments exceeding $300,000 from Woodman, including a monthly $5,000 allowance purportedly for caring for a racehorse co-owned by Woodman. Ablett defended this arrangement by highlighting the substantial expenses involved in racehorse upkeep.
In July 2023, IBAC's Operation Sandon report identified Ablett as a principal figure who advanced Woodman’s interests within council meetings in return for payments surpassing $500,000 between 2010 and 2019. Additionally, Woodman contributed financially to Ablett’s campaigns during his bids for election in Cranbourne.
Personal life
Geoff Ablett is the brother of AFL icon Gary Ablett. His son Ryan, who was at one point listed as a rookie with Hawthorn, passed away in 2009 at the age of 27.
Statistics
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1973 |style="text-align:center;"| | 2 || 7 || 0 || 5 || 71 || 8 || 79 || 17 || || 0.0 || 0.7 || 10.1 || 1.1 || 11.3 || 2.4 || |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1974 |style="text-align:center;"| | 2 || 25 || 20 || 29 || 364 || 81 || 445 || 65 || || 0.8 || 1.2 || 14.6 || 3.2 || 17.8 || 2.6 || |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1975 |style="text-align:center;"| | 2 || 22 || 14 || 19 || 304 || 43 || 347 || 60 || || 0.6 || 0.9 || 14.5 || 2.0 || 16.5 || 2.9 || |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1976 |style="text-align:center;"| | 2 || 23 || 11 || 22 || 365 || 55 || 420 || 58 || || 0.5 || 1.0 || 15.9 || 2.4 || 18.3 || 2.5 || |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1977 |style="text-align:center;"| | 2 || 24 || 8 || 15 || 395 || 78 || 473 || 75 || ||0.3||0.7||16.5||3.3||19.7||3.1|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1978 |style="text-align:center;"| |2||25||15||21||354||91||445||62||||0.6||0.8||14.2||3.6||17.8||2.5|| |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1979 |style="text-align:center;"| |2||16||11||24||231||67||298||46||||0.7||1.5||14.4||4.2||18.6||2.9|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1980 |style="text-align:center;"| |2||19||16||23||274||96||370||66||||0.8||1.2||14.4||5.1||19.5||3.5|| |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1981 |style="text-align:center;"| |2||17||19||23||273||62||335||43||||1.1||1.4||16.1||3.6||19.7||2.5|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1982 |style="text-align:center;"| |2||24||21||26||360||131||491||89||||0.9||1.1||15.0||5..5||20..5|||3..7|| |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1983 |style="text-align:center;"| |4|||5|||8|||8|||70|||21|||91|||15||||||1..6|||1..6|||14..0|||4..2|||18..2|||3..0|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 1984 |style="text-align:center;" | |4|||11|||4|||9|||146|||25|||171|||31||||||0..4|||0..8|||13..3|||2..3|||15..5|||2..8||| |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center"| 1985 |style="text-align:center;" | |15|||11|||6|||10|||187|||31|||218|||38||||||0..5|||0..9|||17..0|||2..8|||19..8|||3..5||| |- class= "sortbottom" ! colspan=3 | Career !229 !153 !234 !3394 !789 !4183 !665 ! !0..7 !1..0 !14..9 !3..5 !18..3 !2..9 ! |}