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In a matter of weeks, Lance Franklin will announce where he will play in 2014 – whether he’ll stay loyal to Hawthorn or accept a lucrative offer from the GWS Giants.
It’s no secret the Giants are struggling to perform, finishing their second season in 18th spot with only one win against the flailing Demons to their name.
Will Franklin change that? No. It is not a star forward that the Giants lack.
The Giants already boast one of the most exciting young prospects in the game in Jeremy Cameron.
Cameron, third in the 2013 Coleman medal race, kicked more goals than Franklin, had a better accuracy with shots on goal, took 30 more marks in general play than Franklin and attained a disposal efficiency percentage 0.7% behind Franklin’s in just his second year of AFL football.
His impressive year also included 37 “1%ers” – one more than Franklin this season – showing that Cameron isn’t just focused on scoring a goal but on getting the Giants a win.
Cameron has managed all this with the delivery of the young, inexperienced Giants midfield.
Cameron stands at 194cm tall, 2cm shorter than Franklin. But if it was height in the forward line the Giants were after, then surely they would be satisfied at the prospect of No. 1 draft pick Jonathan Patton recovering from a knee reconstruction.
Patton stands at 197cm tall and in his few games of AFL football has shown flashes of brilliance both in the air and on the ground.
The combination of the two is a frightening prospect in years to come, however the Giants aren’t done there.
Sitting in their pocket is the number one pick in the 2013 draft – almost certain to be Tom Boyd. Standing at 199cm and 102kg as an 18 year old, Boyd is touted to be the best young forward going around, with experts putting him above Cameron, Patton, Danniher and Hogan in ability.
Although the Giants have made it clear the No. 1 pick is up for grabs if a worthy offer isn’t put to them on the trade table, they won’t part with it – and they certainly won’t let the opportunity to grab Boyd go.
So with all this future forward fire power, why chase Franklin?
Would the money offered to Franklin not be better spent securing talented mature midfielders, ruckmen and defenders?
Would the money offered to Franklin, given the rumoured deal is for six years, not be better allocated in the future to keeping Cameron and Patton together at the Giants?
Or the likes of early draft picks like Whitfield, Shiel and Coniglio at the Giants once they mature?
Is winning more games in 2014 and beyond really a priority for the Giants or is branding their focus?
It’s no secret that Franklin has a strong brand and powerful marketability that the AFL hopes to draw upon if he moves north. But it’s a sad day for the AFL when teams make recruiting decisions based on marketing instead of team deficiency.
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