One of the AFL's most decorated careers was almost lost to surfing - or at least the idea of a life on the waves - before it even got off the ground.
"A lot of people don't know this; I lost interest in footy around the age of 15," Geelong and Gold Coast champion Gary Ablett revealed upon his induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
"I had some other passions at the time. A lot of my mates were skateboarding and surfing, and I think there was a 12-month period where I wanted to be a pro surfer.
"I worked out pretty quickly that that wasn't going to work out for me."
At 16, with his various boards tucked away, Ablett accepted an invitation from the Geelong Falcons and enjoyed a strong TAC Cup season.
