Buddy’s on track: could Franklin better Carey’s brilliant 1996 season?
Roar Pro
By Andrew Birt, 5 May 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
This season, the competitions most exciting player, Buddy Franklin, is putting up numbers that rival Wayne Carey’s brilliant 1996 premiership winning season.
In the first seven games this year, Franklin averages a massive 5.14 goals per game, and is winning 13.28 kicks, 6.85 marks and laying 1.57 tackles per game.
In 1996, Carey then aged 25 averaged 13.28 kicks, 8 marks and 1.12 tackles whilst leading North Melbourne to their first premiership in 18 years.
Fast forward to 2008 and Franklin, 4 years his junior, is spearheading Hawthorn’s most realistic chance for a premiership in 17 years. If the sometimes wayward Buddy can maintain his current goal scoring average over 25 games, he’ll kick 128 goals – the most since Dunstall’s amazing 139 in 1992.
If he manages to achieve this, or even three quarters of this lofty target – from centre half forward – and Hawthorn manage to upset Geelong in the grandfinal it would be difficult to remember a more dominant season by any player in the competition’s history.
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Redb said | May 5th 2008 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
As an Essendon fan I hope the Hawks make the Grand Final and lose by 6 points to Geelong after a goal by one G Ablett.
Redb
Michael C said | May 6th 2008 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Actually, Carey’s breakthrough years were ’93 and ’94, alas, in ’93, he only missed the Brownlow via doing his hammy up at Cararra – a match that while North won by 42 pts, and climbed to the top of the ladder – it was a match that killed Norths chances for the season.
Carey did his hammy and would miss about a month – he returned not quite right, reflected by inaccurate kicking that cost any chance of brownlow votes in Rnds 21 and 22. The Round 22 loss to the Bulldogs by 2 goals cost top spot, saw the loss of Longmire via a knee and Carey missed goals, the brownlow and a chance at a real finals tilt.
In ’94, Carey was scintilating – - especially in the Round 3 127 pt demolition of Hawthorn – - alas – ’94 for Carey was blighted via 3 tribunal arranged holidays – - one via a Rex Hunt Sunday tv exposure of an incident that the controlling umpire had happily paid a high free for and had cleared on the day. Towards season end – one Ch.7 Sunday arvo review showed the 3 incidents Carey had been suspended for – and also 3 incidents against Carey (one by Worsfold) that could/should have gone to the tribunal – but hadn’t – - the suggestion……perhaps, a over developed focus on what Carey did to others and a lack of focus on what others did to Carey…….oh, how many more goals would he have kicked NOW with the ‘anti-defender’ rule interpretations.
At any rate, 94 was a year of his greatest finals efforts. After that, he was more team oriented – although, was a class act in lead up finals – but, in ’96 and ’99 played superb ‘team’ games to open the forward line and in ’96 facilitate Crocker and Sholl as well as creating the space in the 2nd qtr for Freeborn to boot his 3 most important ever goals.
——-
btw – Franklin is a very, very good player – and I love watching him.
Mark E said | May 10th 2008 @ 10:56pm | Report comment
Great player….love watching him play….maybe needs to work on his accuracy?