Playing God: The Rise & Fall of Gary Ablett

Description

there had been many demons in Gary Ablett's life but none had haunted him to the point of depression more than fame. He was the man who fell to earth. Gary Ablett's freakish skills and ability to soar higher than anyone else turned him into the biggest name in Australian sport. But his meteoric rise was followed by a descent to rock bottom. Playing God is a modern-day morality tale about fame and Australia's obsession with its sporting heroes. It traces Ablett's rise and fall - from superstar athlete, worshipped by thousands of loyal fans, to disgrace and humiliation following drug convictions and the death in his presence of a young woman. Along the way it provides an unprecedented glimpse into the hidden world of professional sport: the agents, the fans and the men who protected Ablett from the realities of life - and from himself.

Garry Linnell is one of Australia's best and most respected journalists. He spent more than a decade as a football reporter and sports editor with The Age and Sunday Age in Melbourne during the height of Gary Ablett's career. A Walkley Award winner for feature writing in 1998, he has written widely for magazines and newspapers, and his work has appeared in several anthologies. He is the co-author of Raelene Boyle's biography and is currently Editor in Chief of The Bulletin. He lives in Pymble, NSW.