Gary Ablett’s grand final farewell looked a nightmare just minutes into match, before the retiring veteran bravely returned to the field.

There were fears Ablett’s day was done when he was assisted from the field in the opening term at the Gabba.

Ablett hurt his left shoulder while being tackled by Richmond’s Trent Cotchin and the 36-year-old was in obvious pain as he left the ground.

But minutes later the Cats legend was spotted back on the bench.

He received a huge round of applause when he made a tackle on Tiger David Astbury and got to his feet.

The Tigers had an early injury blow of their own, with defender Nick Vlastuin taken off on a stretcher after a brutal collision with Patrick Dangerfield.

Play stopped for several minutes to allow Vlastuin to be put in a neck brace before he left the playing arena.

Vlastuin was conscious as he headed up the rooms and was later spotted walking with his boots off, indicating his night is done.

It’s been a tough 48 hours for Vlastuin after Victoria Police confirmed a suspicious fire had damaged the Richmond defender’s home located just outside of Geelong.

Both injuries came with no score on the board in the decider, with pre-game rain clearing for the early stages of the match.