Past #23 Buddy Franklin - Thanks Buddy

How long will Buddy play for Sydney?


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Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin is a giant of the game. The star Sydney Swans forward has played 300 AFL games, won two premierships with Hawthorn, is the seventh-greatest goal-kicker in VFL/AFL history, is one of just five men with eight All Australian blazers and is the most recent player to have kicked 100 goals in a season. The Western Australian is also one of just two players in the game’s history, along with former Swan and Saint Tony Lockett, to have booted 300 goals for two clubs. Franklin was added to a leadership group for the first time in his career ahead of season 2020, joining co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, as well as Callum Mills. But the 33-year-old, who was named captain of the 2018 All Australian team, has long been considered an exceptional unofficial leader, so great is his impact on Will Hayward, Nick Blakey, Ben Ronke and the rest of Sydney’s young forwards.

Lance Franklin
DOB: 30 January 1987
DEBUT: 2005
DRAFT: #5, 2004 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Dowerin (WA)/Perth (WAFL)/Hawthorn

 
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Based on his form /output, he should have called time at the end of 2021. But he obviously had the 1,000 goal milestone to reach. Likewise in 2023, he has the scoring milestone (4th all time) and 350 games, but apart from that. There's not much more for him to play on for (apart from pride).

Leading up to the 2022 season, I expected buddy to do a fair bit of work to reduce his weight as much as possible to counter the slowing down. And given how he slowed towards the end of 2022, I expected him to do so in 2023.

If he really expected to continue to have an impact, he would have committed to getting into the leanest shape he could but either didn't think he had to or couldn't apply himself, and as a result, he hasn't been able to come close to having a reasonable impact.

4th goal scoring and 350, then farewell tour.

Having said all of that, I'm glad we recruited him. It's just a shame that we got close, made 3 GFs with him, but couldn't quite achieve the ultimate. It's been fun watching buddy all these years and glad he became a Swan.
 

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Based on his form /output, he should have called time at the end of 2021. But he obviously had the 1,000 goal milestone to reach. Likewise in 2023, he has the scoring milestone (4th all time) and 350 games, but apart from that. There's not much more for him to play on for (apart from pride).

Leading up to the 2022 season, I expected buddy to do a fair bit of work to reduce his weight as much as possible to counter the slowing down. And given how he slowed towards the end of 2022, I expected him to do so in 2023.

If he really expected to continue to have an impact, he would have committed to getting into the leanest shape he could but either didn't think he had to or couldn't apply himself, and as a result, he hasn't been able to come close to having a reasonable impact.

4th goal scoring and 350, then farewell tour.

Having said all of that, I'm glad we recruited him. It's just a shame that we got close, made 3 GFs with him, but couldn't quite achieve the ultimate. It's been fun watching buddy all these years and glad he became a Swan.

Huh? Output? He kicked over 50 goals last year.
 
Huh? Output? He kicked over 50 goals last year.
I was referring to his form at the end of the season - 2 goals in our 3 finals including being pantsed by May, and also having some games in 2022 where looked slow, was regularly getting caught with the ball and was well beaten by his opponent.

From 2021 to 2022 there was an obvious decline in his athleticism. The signs were there, and there was little doubt that there would be a further drop from 2022 to 2023. If he wanted to counteract that, he would have put in work to reduce the amount of weight he was carrying, and hence make him quicker / more agile.
 
Has he ever gone goaless two weeks in a row before ?
There were quite a few different indicators that suggested he was on the decline.

Fewer bags of goals over the course of the season, reduction in his goal average, more games where he scored a single goal, more 0 goal games, being caught with the ball when attempting to evade a tackler (something he excelled at throughout his career), inability to kick goals from beyond 50 (something that was a hallmark of his game), inability to outrun an opponent (we all remember those two runs along the wing where he took a couple of bounces and goaled).
 
I was referring to his form at the end of the season - 2 goals in our 3 finals including being pantsed by May, and also having some games in 2022 where looked slow, was regularly getting caught with the ball and was well beaten by his opponent.

From 2021 to 2022 there was an obvious decline in his athleticism. The signs were there, and there was little doubt that there would be a further drop from 2022 to 2023. If he wanted to counteract that, he would have put in work to reduce the amount of weight he was carrying, and hence make him quicker / more agile.

What's that got to do with his output in 2022 going into the season? You said based on his output he should have called time at the end of 2021 as if he didn't have an outstanding 2022.
 
What's that got to do with his output in 2022 going into the season? You said based on his output he should have called time at the end of 2021 as if he didn't have an outstanding 2022.
Fair point, 2022 wasn't the same buddy in prior years, but your right, his output throughout the year was certainly worthy of playing on in 2022. My perception of his year was coloured by how poorly he finished the season.
 

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he said one more last year , so it already is known it is his last isn't it

that won't make him play better

Don't think it was definitively his last since he's still relatively injury free, so if he'd kicked 15+ to this point of the season think there was an outside chance of playing on into 2024, but I'd agree that now there's no chance.
 
The Swans have never won a flag with Buddy & unlike the true Swans legends like Kel & Goodes, he didn’t play his entire career with us.

Swans fans will applaud when told to (as Buddy was a great player & terrific to watch in his prime) - but I don’t think Montagna realises that there isn’t the deep emotional connection we had with the true champions of the Swans.

And a lot of Swans fans are frustrated and feel he shouldn’t have been given the extra year.
 
The Swans have never won a flag with Buddy & unlike the true Swans legends like Kel & Goodes, he didn’t play his entire career with us.

Swans fans will applaud when told to (as Buddy was a great player & terrific to watch in his prime) - but I don’t think Montagna realises that there isn’t the deep emotional connection we had with the true champions of the Swans.

And a lot of Swans fans are frustrated and feel he shouldn’t have been given the extra year.

Maybe no connection for you but think anyone who was on the ground last year for his 1,000th would have a pretty special memory with him.
 
He has as of today played 165 games and kicked 474 goals for the club

More goals and games than Hall Lockett etc in fact only Pratt and Oloughlin have more goals for the club

why wouldn't fans have a connection to him
 
Maybe no connection for you but think anyone who was on the ground last year for his 1,000th would have a pretty special memory with him.

Indeed, there's no denying that. I ran on the field when Plugger broke the record (I was a bit more nimble back then!) - so to me, Plugger will always be a champion of the game & provided some great memories, but he never won a flag with the Swans, spent large parts of his career playing for another club & isn't remembered (by me at least) with the same deep sense of reverence as Goodes, or Kelly (who drove our culture that persists to this very day).

So, in my view (and some will disagree, I get that), saying "Buddy is going to retire" and expecting the rest of the season to become a celebration of Buddy isn't going to happen, if we're slumping towards the bottom third of the table.

It didn't happen with Plugger, and it won't happen with Buddy.
 
It's very unfair to say he isn't as loved as Kelly & Goodes.
Buddy single-handedly helped us to Grand Finals in 2014 & 2016.
We should be thankful for that & had he not gone down with his ankle early in the 2016 Cheaters Premiership, we would most certainly have won against the cheating scum.
Buddy has given his all & he now looks clearly hampered by form & some niggles.
It's only right that he is nursed through the rest of the season. Give him a rest this week & bring him back against West Coast. He may just give them a hiding while fresh. Rest him again after that. Maybe two off & one on depending on the game.

The season is done & we are short on leadership with injury so by all means I am over him not playing. Too late to make such calls now.
Get him to 350 & 4th place in all time goal kicking.

All the best to Buddy these last few games of his career. As long as he is not ridiculed for poor games I am content to watch him finish the season off.
 
It's very unfair to say he isn't as loved as Kelly & Goodes.
Buddy single-handedly helped us to Grand Finals in 2014 & 2016.
We should be thankful for that & had he not gone down with his ankle early in the 2016 Cheaters Premiership, we would most certainly have won against the cheating scum.
Buddy has given his all & he now looks clearly hampered by form & some niggles.
It's only right that he is nursed through the rest of the season. Give him a rest this week & bring him back against West Coast. He may just give them a hiding while fresh. Rest him again after that. Maybe two off & one on depending on the game.

The season is done & we are short on leadership with injury so by all means I am over him not playing. Too late to make such calls now.
Get him to 350 & 4th place in all time goal kicking.

All the best to Buddy these last few games of his career. As long as he is not ridiculed for poor games I am content to watch him finish the season off.
I agree but I'd play him this week against North. It's not as if we have anyone to bring in for him especially if Logan is injured.
 

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Past #23 Buddy Franklin - Thanks Buddy

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