In an article on The Roar last week about Buddy Franklin and his move to Swan, I commented that it was good move for both him and the Hawks.
For Buddy he got to go to Sydney and start fresh at a new club. For the Hawks they got extra room in their salary cap.
But was he that important to the Hawks and would the loss of Jarryd Roughead have been worse? For me and other Hawthorn supporters the thinking was that, yes, he will be missed, but the loss of Roughead would have been a whole lot worse.
So why is that? Well, here are some of my reasons and others that I have heard.
1. Versatile
Buddy is able to go up the field into the midfield more as a wingman than an in-and-under player and he has the ability to get the ball and bolt of toward goal and kick some monster goals.
With Roughead he is one of the few tall players that has the ability to get in and under in the contest and get the ball out as a ruck rover, and has done so on may occasions. Other positions he can cover are ruck, wingman, halfback and forward.
2. Accuracy
Since 2012 Roughead has been the more accurate of the two in front of goal. He has an average of around 57 per cent while Franklin sits at about 52 per cent. Yes, Buddy has had more shot on goals but accuracy is important.
3. Ruck ability
Roughead’s basketball background has seen him develop very clever use of the ‘tap’ over his career when playing the ruck position. It has given the Hawks the advantage of being able to give the primary ruckman in the last few year extra rest. This ability has also helped him in and around the goal area with the ability to read the ruck and tap the ball to his advantage or to teammate to score goals.
Since Lance Franklin has left for the Swans, Roughead has come out from the shadow of Buddy and became the star that the Hawks have needed. Barring injuries he will break the 500-goal mark this year if he kicks another 45. That will make him only the sixth player to kick 500-plus goals for Hawthorn since 1965.
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Death, taxes, and Jack Ginnivan getting ignored!
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
Collingwood premiership defender Nathan Murphy has been forced into a premature and immediate AFL retirement through concussion to prioritise a "full and healthy life"…
Geelong has been crafty and creative in its list management and has quietly assembled a very exciting young group of midfielders and half-forwards.
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale will be looking to lead his team to a victory against Melbourne in what will be his 250th AFL game.
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
