AFL star Gary Ablett Jr. and wife Jordan are expecting their first baby

Geelong Cats star Gary Ablett Jr. and his wife Jordan have announced they are expecting their first child together.

“It’s hard to put into words just how happy we are,” the couple, who married on New Year’s Day 2016, write in a post for website Exclusive Insight.

“We’ve known this for a few months now but decided that we wanted to keep it between just the two of us and our families for as long as we could.

“It’s obviously such a special and unique time and we really wanted to make sure that we made the most of it.”

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Jordan didn’t tell her husband she was pregnant right away, opting instead to surprise the AFL champion with the news on his birthday in mid-May.

The pair were staying at Melbourne’s Crown hotel after one of Gary’s games when Jordan presented him with a box bearing the words ‘Introducing the Greatest Recruit of All Time’.

“I had no idea what it was and when I opened it, inside was the tiniest Michael Jordan onesie, a little beanie and little runners,” the NBA fan tells Exclusive Insight.

“It took me a little moment to process what I was looking at but when it hit me, it hit me hard. I was an emotional wreck.”

The onesie isn’t the only sporting-themed outfit sitting in the wardrobe, ready for Baby Ablett’s arrival.

On Instagram, Gary and Jordan both shared a photo of a tiny Geelong guernsey hanging between those belonging to ‘Dad’ (#4) and ‘Grandad’ (#5) - a nod to bub’s AFL bloodline.

Grandfather-to-be Gary Ablett Sr is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest players, having spent two years with Hawthorn before signing with the Cats in 1984. 

The Australian Football Hall of Fame member announced his retirement, for the second and final time, in 1997. 

Judging by the Instagram comments, plenty of fans would love to see a third-generation Ablett son join the Cats in another 20 years’ time (if baby Ablett so desires, of course).