Hawthorn are better off without Franklin

How did he "turn the game" if you guys lost dumbie? Think before you type. If he had of kicked straight and converted - you guys win. End of story.

I'm a Hawks supporter, but when Buddy was out last year there was suddenly an exciting energy about the team. Beltings to Bulldogs, Essendon, Port and GC, an electric win over Collingwood, and a narrow loss to Geelong....no Buddy. Sometimes Buddy can be electrifying himself, but this was on a team level. It's funny how Buddy becomes the focal point when he's around...without him all the other players start bobbing up and doing great things. It's as if they become free to play more daringly. I'm in two minds about Buddy. If he's going to play the wait-and-see contract game, part of me thinks he should just go. We've all seen what happened to Collingwood with the Cloke distractions. Might be interesting for Hawthorn to force Franklin's hand. No Franklin would create plenty of room in the salary cap, and all the other exciting recruits we have might really start to blossom. I have a particular gripe that Savage wasn't given more game time in the finals...he was on fire. (I know his performance as sub wasn't spectacular in the GF, but I think he would have done well if played from the start.) Franklin's a frustrating player...he's not a great mark, he's clumsy and gives away lots of free kicks, and he can't kick straight. When he was lining up to kick that goal in the last quarter against the Swans, I almost had to cover my eyes. The kick looked horrible off the boot. If he's going to put himself ahead of the team - which he is doing with the contract stalling - then part of me wants to see him go. That's not "one for all" as in the song. That's "one for one".

This has been a thought-provoking discussion, typical of the quality comment that the roar affords. My two bob's worth on Buddy (probably worth only a shilling)? If his mind is on the job, he does ok. Most teams, I guess, would take him onto their list if the chance arose. How to counter his 'lazy games'? I haven't a clue. I wish his coach luck.

Buddy is a true great of the game. The comments earlier saying he isn't a big match player are just ludicrous. I am a Swans fan and his performance in last year's grand final was simply incredible. His goals in the third quarter are simply things that no one else can do. I am also always impressed by his chasing and tackling and you can be rest assured that if Hawthorn do lose him at the end of the year they will be spewing!!

Yeah, right. And the Suns are better without Ablett, and Carlton are better without Judd, and Fremantle are better without Pavlich and Collingwood are better without Swan. What a load of rubbish. This is the sort of stuff that politicians get away with but it doesn't apply to sport. The best are just that and coaching and team strategy should be devised to make the most of all great players.

It's that, like Gold Coast with Ablett, "kick it to Star Player" soon becomes "Make It Star Player's Problem" and people will go to them whether or not the play is really there. This makes life impossible for the target, as other opponents can gang up on them effectively.

Is the problem that Buddy is overrated, or that Clarkson hasn't got the tactics right when Buddy is playing?

Honestly mate you've got NFI watch the game again if you have to. when did he kick those 3 goals ? after sydney had dominated the 2nd qtr and kicked the first 2 of the second half. I maintain he turned the game hawthorn's way, JohnD yes of course in the end his (and few other's) misses at critical stages cost the game but you're blind if couldn't see his effort got us back in with a chance..

Not sure how that can be, hawker. He only kicked 3 goals.

I completely agree that those 3 are all bad players (or at least bad forwards) to replace Buddy. But I think rather than changing Buddy, isn't it more about changing the other players? If Buddy's asset is his unpredictability, then he should just keep doing what he's doing. It's more that everyone else needs to realise that they can't kick it to him every time. The number of good left footers in their team simply doesn't correlate with the number of goals they kick out of them - isn't that more the problem? The team itself thinks they can just bomb the ball in and the forwards will take care of the rest. You need guys like Smith and Suckling (if only he wasn't out this year) to sneak forward a bit more and have midfielders to go back to cover the holes they've left.

I loved Jack's game in Round 1 and he didn't kick a goal

He had a reasonable game, hawker, but if he had kicked straight, the Hawks would have won. Stolen from Jon Ralph: " He kicked 3.4 and a shot out of bounds just before halftime, with his confidence in his set-shot action falling away badly. He played on at all costs - even from directly in front of goal - and badly hooked a set shot in the last quarter that would have put Hawthorn 17 points up. " http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/teams/lance-franklins-set-shot-routine-gets-a-new-look-after-grand-final-spray/story-e6frf9lx-1226607964483

"No, Power Forwards do not grow on trees but at the price tag Franklin is asking it would simply hurt us too much. With Roughead, Gunston and Schonmakers on the roster we have talls who can hold down that role well." Your kidding yourself if you want to rely on Gunston and Schoenmakers as key forwards. Schoenmakers is was and always will be a defender, we've gone through too much pain with him at CHB and are just starting to see the fruits of our labour. Gunston is a 3rd tall who is developing ( a few more games like easter monday and he'll be developing at box hill)

Thats the midfielders fault , not buddy's.

"I’ve thought for a while now that Buddy is a big moment player, not a big game one. We all marvel at those stunning goals on the run from deep in the left pocket, but he has rarely, if ever turned a game of any significance. His set shot accuracy is so bad, he is probably best advised to play on every time he takes a mark." Never turned a game of any significance ?? I'll give you the hot tip, if it wasn't for him we would've lost the GF by 8goals +.

Yes but in the grand final Hawthorn started to win in the third quarter when Buddy moved to midfield and Rioli, Williams and Dew started to run amok in the forward line.