Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett says he is all but certain of making his return to playing next  weekend, while insisting he did not make a unilateral decision to miss one more week with a shoulder injury against the wishes of the club's coaches and medical staff.

"I will be there next week," Ablett told 3AW radio about the prospect of playing in the Saturday twilight home match against North Melbourne.

Ablett, a two-time Brownlow medallist, has not played since round two.

The return will be savoured by the beleaguered Suns, even though it has come too late to rescue the last-place team's chances of reaching the finals this year.

"It's been a frustrating couple of months but I feel like I've done everything I need to get the shoulder right to get back out there," Ablett said.

He also rebutted a claim by former Western Bulldogs ruckman Luke Darcy at the weekend that he had been slated to make his return in Sunday's match against Carlton but club officials were unable to make contact with Ablett on selection day last Thursday.

"The decision had already been made before the time I'd spoken to them [club officials] anyway," he said.