Sydney superstar Lance Franklin is in doubt for round one of the AFL season after he underwent minor knee surgery.
Lance Franklin has undergone a knee arthroscopy with Sydney admitting the superstar forward is not a certain starter for round one of the AFL season.
Franklin was sent for scans having reporting back to the club with a sore knee and subsequently went under the knife on Monday.
The Swans expect Franklin, who turns 33 later this month, will resume full training in approximately 10 weeks.
“Which means he remains a chance to play in round one but we clearly can’t make that call until closer to the date,” Swans football manager Charlie Gardiner said.
“We weighed it up and felt that it was best for Lance to have a clean-up now, so he underwent an arthroscope.
“We may have been able to manage the knee through the year, but we’re hopeful that this will mean Lance can have an uninterrupted season.
“He has had a similar clean-up on his right knee in the past, so there are no long-term concerns.”
Sydney, who missed the finals for the first time since 2009, start their season against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on March 21.
It is the second year in a row their gun forward’s preparation for a season has been put on hold because of surgery.
Franklin underwent off-season groin surgery prior to the Swans’ 2019 campaign, in which he only played 10 games because of hamstring injuries.
The setback comes after Franklin enjoyed one of his healthiest starts to a pre-season since leaving Hawthorn in 2013 to join the Swans on a nine-year deal worth approximately $10 million.
The four-time Coleman medallist returned to training in November, ahead of schedule and alongside the club’s youngsters, and declared last month that he was confident of returning to his best in 2020 and beyond.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” he told AFL.com.au
“I’m as hungry as ever and I’ve got no doubt that if my pre-season continues like this that I’ll have a strong year.
“Some people might think otherwise but I still feel young and fresh.”
Gardiner suggested 32-year-old Franklin’s fitness base from the past two months would help him get back on the park soon.
“He had been training extremely well to date, so we expect that will assist in his recovery,” he said.
Antony Pincombe
Roar Rookie
Who said he is in doubt? If the surgery was a success, and there is every reason to believe it was, then he has every chance of playing Round 1. He started training today. They are bringing him back slowly which is not unusual for an elder statesman. But if he starts today on a limited program and they keep extending the program he will be training with the main group by the first official preseason game.
anon
Roar Pro
Only three years left to go on his contract... Could have an elite midfielder for the money they're paying him per season. Only played 10 games this season. Looks as though he's going to struggle to play more than 50% games per season from here on out. I'm not even sure he's worth $400k per season at this point. Can't get on the park, when he does get on the park he's usually carrying extra weight, become a very one-dimensional player, no second effort left him in. 300 games is a lot for player of his size. He's fun to watch when he's having a great game no doubt about it.
Cracka
Roar Rookie
He will be 33 years old this year and his body has been playing up for the last 2 years, big call but I think the best of Buddy is behind him, but what a career so far and what a champion he has been.