Former Geelong star Cameron Mooney criticises Gary Ablett for not improving team

Ex-Geelong forward Cameron Mooney has singled out Gary Ablett for his lack of production in his first season back with the Cats this season. 

The two-time Brownlow Medallist was again under par in Geelong's win over Sydney last night, collecting just 17 possessions and laying only two tackles, and Mooney suggested that Ablett had not made the Cats stronger.

"He hasn't been playing great footy," Mooney said on Fox Footy.

"He's not giving himself to the team. Just those little things.

"Until he does that he won't improve the team."

Ablett's famously high standards are perhaps hurting him, as he is still enjoying a fantastic season at age 34, averaging 28 disposals per contest so far in 2018. 

However, the criticism of the Geelong champion stem from his shortcomings on the defensive end of the field, where his tackle numbers have pretty much halved from 2017.

Ablett arrived from the Suns to form a much-heralded midfield trio alongside Geelong skipper Joel Selwood and Patrick Dangerfield, but so far the Cats have been one of the more wildly inconsistent teams in the league, as evidenced by their win in Sydney and the loss to the Western Bulldogs in Round 15.

Mooney's concerns were also echoed by former North Melbourne forward David King, who said the Cats need Ablett to step up if they are to make a serious tilt at a premiership.

"Joel Selwood was enormous tonight, Patrick Dangerfield had a great 60 minutes in the middle of the game defensively," King said.

"But Gary is miles from where he needs to be and for this team he needs to be at least a 6/10 defensive player."