It’s almost twelve months to the day since Lance “Buddy” Franklin stunned the AFL world when he announced that he was leaving Hawthorn to join the Sydney Swans on a nine-year, multi-million dollar deal.
All the speculation throughout 2013 had been that he would join the Greater Western Sydney Giants and give them a marquee name, something the young club lacked as they struggled their way to two wooden spoons in their first two years.
But the Swans would offer him a contract not heard of since Alastair Lynch’s decade-long contract signed in 1994 which spanned two clubs – the Brisbane Bears and subsequently the Brisbane Lions.
Mixed reaction followed, with Mick Malthouse and Eddie McGuire among those to condemn the contract. However, as we are about to discover later, the Swans’ investment in the game’s best full-forward has been vindicated.
Buddy’s arrival would see him paired with Kurt Tippett in a dream forward line which already featured the likes of the ageing Adam Goodes and Sam Reid. It had the potential to cause headaches for opposition defences.
It also had the potential to keep the Sydney Swans’ premiership window open, after they defeated the Hawks to win the 2012 flag. Injuries to key players saw the club’s premiership defence ended by Fremantle in the preliminary final last year.
Moving to Sydney meant that Franklin would follow the likes of Tony Lockett and Barry Hall in escaping the continual scrutiny in Melbourne. Both Lockett and Hall, who arrived at the Swans from St Kilda in 1995 and 2002 respectively, would enjoy the best parts of their careers in the Harbour City.
Thus, it remained to be seen whether Buddy could do the same. And that he did, but he would rather love to forget his early days as a Swan.
In Round 1 against GWS, Buddy kicked one goal and was continually booed by the pro-Giants crowd as the Swans crashed to a 32-point loss to their younger cousins, who were being coached by ex-Hawthorn assistant Leon Cameron for the first time.
It prompted me at the time to ask the question: who needs Lance Franklin when you’ve got Jeremy Cameron and Jonathan Patton?
Four weeks later against North Melbourne, Buddy was then held goalless for the only time this season by fullback Scott Thompson, who was one of his many victims in a 13-goal performance for Hawthorn against the Roos in 2012.
The troubles didn’t appear to end anytime soon. During the week leading up to Anzac Day, Buddy crashed his girlfriend’s Jeep into four parked cars, one of which belonged to a lifelong Hawthorn supporter.
Many will argue that he only escaped major punishment by the Swans because he was not under the influence of alcohol, neither was he drinking or texting in the lead-up to the incident.
Then, in his return to the Victorian capital as a Swan, he suffered a minor knee injury against Melbourne which forced him to miss the following week’s trip to the Gabba.
With his troubles behind him, the highly-anticipated match against his old club Hawthorn at ANZ Stadium in Round 8 would prove to be the turning point in his first year at Sydney.
After kicking seven straight behinds in the first three quarters, the man himself would kick two important goals in the final quarter to lift his new side to a 19-point win. The Swans were starting to come fast and hard after a slow start to the year.
Five goals against Essendon followed, before he and Tippett combined in tandem in subsequent victories over the Geelong Cats and Port Adelaide on either side of a quiet performance against the Gold Coast Suns.
Against the Power, two late goals, including a bomb from 70 metres out, saw the Swans sneak home by just four points. He also proved to be the difference as the Swans came from behind to beat Richmond at the MCG the following week.
His best performances then came against Carlton in Round 17, when five third-quarter goals for an eventual six saw the Swans romp to a 71-point victory, and against St Kilda in his 200th game in Round 21 where he kicked nine goals.
Both came on either side of missing the Round 19 match against Essendon after being a late withdrawal due to injury. He was also rested from the final round loss to Richmond. The Swans were all but guaranteed the minor premiership and Buddy already had the Coleman Medal around his neck.
Then came the finals, something which the Swans and Buddy are very familiar with. So it was no surprise that they were favoured to defeat Fremantle in their first qualifying final, with the man himself again the centre of attention.
Three goals, including two in the last quarter, saw the Swans move straight through to the preliminary final where North Melbourne, to whom the Swans’ loss in Round 4 sparked their surge up the ladder, would await.
The Roos had every reason to be confident that they could repeat the dose on the Swans, but Buddy would mastermind their revenge mission and combine with Tippett for nine goals as the hosts won by 71 points to move through to the grand final.
It was to be Buddy’s third straight decider, having featured for Hawthorn in the 2012 and 2013 deciders, both of which were split. And it would be the Hawks standing in the way of the Swans and their sixth premiership.
Though the Swans would produce their worst performance all year, Buddy was one of two ex-Hawks who would stand tall for the red-and-white, kicking four goals despite appearing to injure a shoulder in the first quarter.
While he didn’t land a third premiership medallion, his first season at the Swans should be deemed a success considering all the criticism he copped from the very moment he became a Swan almost twelve months ago.
Not only did he win his third Coleman Medal, kicking 67 goals throughout the regular season (79 if you include 12 goals kicked during the finals series), he also polled 22 votes in the Brownlow Medal, tying with fellow AFL defector Gary Ablett Jr from the Gold Coast Suns.
One year down, eight to go. If the Swans can win a premiership or two in that time frame, then their controversial investment in the competition’s best full-forward will be well and truly vindicated.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
The AFL Players' Association has come out swinging against the league for their decision to hand Port Adelaide forward a three-match suspension for using…
Overreacting to a single loss is one of the most overplayed scenarios in sport, but it’s important for the Swans to still believe that…
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
It could be a weekend for contenders to emerge, teams to hopefully break droughts, o and overall footy to have a party.
We’ve already seen what Jack Ginnivan is capable of at Collingwood with his ability to grasp big moments - how will he go against his former teammates?
