What is equally clear is that Junior is undoubtedly the best ever Gold Coast Suns player.

Gary Ablett won his fourth best and fairest award for the Suns on Saturday night despite missing eight games, playing with hamstring and calf injuries, playing only when he chose, and playing badly in at least one of those 14 games.

That he won the best and fairest in spite of all of this either says a lot about Ablett or a lot about the rest of the Suns team. Or both.

Yet maybe the strongest comment his victory made was about neither Ablett nor his teammates. Maybe the strongest comment was a statement from the Suns to the rest of the competition about their star player.

It was a comment about where they think he still sits at their club and thus where they will want him to sit next year.

The comment was this: even in just 14 games, or 13 good games, Ablett was still, at 33-years-old, far and away our best player. Even when he is difficult, feeling homesick, picking and choosing when he plays and being disruptive, he is still our best player.

Ablett said at the end of last year that he wanted to be traded back to Geelong for personal reasons. The Suns said no.

He will doubtless renew his request this trade period and renew the threat that he will play in Geelong or nowhere next year: Cats or bust.

Saturday night was not the right moment to make declarations about next year. He was polite, and diplomatically non-committal when asked about it.

"I have got a lot to think about over the next couple of weeks," he said.

"I just want to be clear I love this football club. I've been here for seven years and it has been a big part of my life ??? (but) as you get older I have some other things in my life that I need to start prioritising." He then said he needed to return to Victoria to talk things through with family.

Many people confidently assert the romantic reunion will eventuate and he will play for the Cats next year. They knowingly hint at an arrangement.

It is difficult to conceive this will happen.

The Suns have already paid about half his salary for next year. Player contracts that are 'front-ended' are done on the basis of acknowledging that a contract should be viewed in terms of the total amount of money and the total number of years and then work out - according to the salary cap pressures - if the money should be spread evenly or more paid in some years rather than others. To manage the salary cap to cover players like Steven May and Tom Lynch the Suns paid a lot of Ablett's contract in his earlier years.

So in the Suns view Gary has essentially already been paid a good chunk - about half - of his salary for next year. If he were to go anywhere else they'd want that money back. Besides they insist it was Ablett who pushed hardest for the extra year in his contract extension.

Then there is his age. He is 34 early next year. The trade value of most 34 year olds is non-existent but this is no ordinary soon to be 34-year-old. This soon to be 34-year-old could still be in the best five players in the competition next year.

Ok, but even if he is in that bracket next year, what about the year after? And the year after that? How many years will he play for? Two? Three? Can he play in a forward pocket for four years? Five?

If Geelong is confident he can play for several years then a decent player or high draft pick would be worthwhile in a trade. But they would have to be confident he was going to play for more than a year or two.

Or would it? So what if you give away a high draft pick or a good player who might play for a long time at the Suns if getting Gary Ablett back even for one or two years meant winning another flag. Imagine him tagging with Dangerfield forward and on the ball. Imagine him back with Selwood.

It might be short-termism, but if the short term is that good why not?

The question is: what is Gary Ablett worth?

Tigers maturing nicely

Earning their stripes: Dylan Grimes senses a difference at Tigerland. Photo: Tony McDonough

Richmond have established the sense of the irresistible force about them.

Dustin Martin's contract signing was the latest and most emblematic moment of that force, and reinforces the sense of commitment and understanding.

Richmond handled that contract circus well. Richmond have handled Dusty well. They have handled themselves throughout the season with maturity and class. Remember this is Richmond we are talking about.

Dylan Grimes said earlier in the year that this year feels different because the players now play with an intuitive understanding and confidence in one another.

That confidence can allow the player to run ahead of the ball at the right moment knowing his teammate will at worst have a contest. It is the confidence to leave a man in defence and know, without looking backwards, that another will be across to cover the man you left.

All clubs will insist that this is the case at their club and doubtless it is true of most of the top-four finalists. It does not seem readily apparent with all of them - GWS spring to mind as a side yet to reach that understanding and confidence. These things are only possible with time spent together and maturing.

Grimes would understand this value of time and maturity and that ageing is a positive thing - he is a winemaker.

It is this abstract idea of intuitive understanding and confidence that makes Richmond so compelling at the moment as much as any structural component of small forwards, powerful midfields or niggardly defence.

Is Don, is good

Launching into September: Essendon's Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti tackles Gold Coast's Aaron Hall in round 22. Photo: AAP

Essendon are the only team to have a free hit in the finals. Unlike every other finalist they have already been a success.

Yes they will want to keep on winning and no they will not consider their work already done. But in terms of what each of the finalists has done this year only their opponent at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, Sydney, with a 0-6 start, can compare.

Essendon arrived in the season with greater uncertainty than any team. They patched their team back together and didn't know how they would fare. They didn't know how their team would physically last or mentally reconnect. John Worsfold's year has been a masterful performance.

The newly-found players of last year such as Anthony McDonald Tipungwuti and Orazio Fantasia found that the suspensions only created opportunities and that their place in the side was not reliant on other players not being there. Once those players came back McDonald Tipungwuti did not disappear. Three players on the Bombers' list when they were suspended for 12 months all made All Australian (Michael Hibberd was at Melbourne this year but served his suspension as an Essendon player).

The club made $4million, and on Friday had Andrew McGrath named Rising Star of the competition.

There is a reasonable argument that Essendon should not have been able to benefit from the suspensions by their weakened side which was always going to finish in the bottom bracket on the ladder, therefore having access to a high draft pick as a benefit. But that is a separate argument that is now academic. The fact is they picked the right player and developed him well in his first season.

So on Saturday Essendon plays Sydney in the elimination final liberated by the knowledge that in the broad scope of things they have succeeded already. Now they just have to win.

Origin finds its niche

AFLW in good state: Lauren Arnell, Daisy Pearce and Moana Hope celebrate a Big V goal. Photo: AAP

State of Origin has found its place in the AFL. State of Origin football it turns out is a women's game, and Saturday night's inaugural AFLW match was an unqualified success.

Self-interest has long blocked the reintroduction of State of Origin football for men. Self-interested clubs and coaches closed the window on the concept.

In contrast, the women's game understood their self interest was vastly different to the men. Their self interest was better served by the best women playing not watching.

The players wanted to play. The teams and the coaches wanted their players to play.

The women's game understands that to have a competition they need to have something to market and so are prepared to risk an injury for the greater good.

They understand the greatest self interest is the marketing of the game.

AFLW's first season was a success but it also revealed a shallow talent pool. The games then were often lacking for an even spread of skill and for high scoring. The State of Origin reminded us that at the top level there is no lack of speed, skill or scoring. All the women's game needs now is time, the time for the fast moving generational change to mature and reach the elite levels.

This game offered the next step in the women's game's evolution. It was faster than the first season. It was more skilled, it was high scoring. And Daisy Pearce has got better.

All the players looked vastly better than last year. Yes the game was a representative match so the best players were playing but it was not unrepresentative of the trend of the game.

Whether the AFL persists with a bye at the end of the season, it has found State of Origin's place. It is a women's game.