Gary Ablett's quest to become King of the Jungle has driven him to even greater heights in his AFL career, according to Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna.
Ablett is a raging favourite to win his second Brownlow this year, with one betting agency so certain he'll win that they've already paid out punters who have backed him.
The 29-year-old was a star during his nine seasons at Geelong, with his accomplishments including the 2009 Brownlow medal, two premierships and four All-Australian guernseys.
But his ability to shine in a struggling Suns outfit has been perhaps his finest achievement, with many experts now rating Ablett as one of the game's greatest ever players.
Gold Coast managed just three wins in each of their first two seasons, but have already doubled that figure this year and are on track to become a genuine finals contender from 2014 and beyond.
Ablett's No.1 goal is helping the Suns win a premiership.
But McKenna said the star midfielder's drive to remain the best player among his fast-improving Gold Coast teammates had proven critical in his continued improvement.
"I think what drives Gary - and it's not from an ego point of view - but he wants to know he's the best in the AFL, and he wants to know he's the best at the Gold Coast Suns," McKenna said.
"So when Harley Bennell was biting at his heels last year, (as well as) Dion Prestia, David Swallow and Tommy Lynch - all of a sudden with the group growing around him he just wants to know he can walk around and mark his territory and say, 'hey, I'm still the best here at the Suns'.
"It's driven him."
Ablett has tallied 30 or more possessions in 12 of his 18 games this year.
He has also booted 21 goals to go with a series of match-winning performances, with West Coast the latest club bracing for an Ablett onslaught ahead of Saturday's clash at Patersons Stadium.
The Eagles thrashed Gold Coast by 126 points when the teams last met in round 14, 2012.
But with the Suns showing drastic improvement since then, and West Coast taking a dramatic slide down the pecking order, McKenna expects a much closer match this time around.
"That game last year was a perfect storm for us," McKenna said.
"We weren't in a good place (with injuries to key players) and West Coast obviously were in a lot better form, and we got our right whack.
"I think we're an eight goal better side now - four goals defensively and four goals offensively.
"Six eights are 48, so that's not quite 120 points. But I don't think we'll have the same margin this year."
