The Footygods: Athena

Athena was the god of many things but one of the biggest was courage and one of the others was skill. She was so loved that she became the goddess of one of the greatest cities in the Greek world and gave it her name. Unlike her brother Ares, she approached battle as a test of wisdom rather than of force.
You see some really good players when you’re watching footy. But to watch really great players is pretty rare. And on Saturday night I saw a player who you could describe with every cliche available and you still wouldn’t come close. Gary Ablett Jr just did it all. Two goals; a couple of dozen kicks and almost the same number of handballs. A hat trick of 40 plus possessions. And he made it look so easy.
It’s not like he has the biggest body. He’s not the most physical. He’s not the tallest or the fastest. But if there is one player that has been blessed by Athena, he’s got number nine on the back of his gold coast guernsey. The skill of Athena? He’s just drowning in it.

Ian Latham

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