- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Lance Franklin, one of the AFL’s greatest players, has terrorised his last opposition backline.
The legendary Sydney and Hawthorn key forward has retired after injuring his calf in Saturday night’s win over Essendon.
Franklin went to the club to tell his teammates on Monday, but one of the game’s most marketable talents did not join a media conference in the afternoon fronted by coach John Longmire and club chief executive Tom Harley. “Everyone would have loved to have Lance available – he just doesn’t like these situations,” Longmire said.
Longmire and Harley said that Franklin would eventually speak about his retirement.
Franklin, who won two premierships with the Hawks in 2008 and ’13, belongs in the conversation with Graham “Polly” Farmer and former Swans teammate Adam Goodes as the game’s greatest Indigenous player.
The 36-year-old is fourth on the alltime leading goalkickers list with 1066 goals from his 354 games.
The last big highlight of Franklin’s career came last season when he kicked his 1000th goal, sparking wild celebrations as fans thronged onto the SCG playing surface.
“What a journey. Thanks to everyone who has been on this crazy ride with me,” said Franklin in an Instagram post complete with a photo of him alongside his only two senior coaches, Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson and Longmire, taken after the 1000-goal game.
Franklin stunned the sport at the end of the 2013 season by signing a massive nine-year deal with the Swans.
He extended that deal by a year in grand final week last season, a few days before Geelong belted them at the MCG.
The Swans managed him through this season as he played 13 games, including the last four in a row, prompting some speculation about whether he might try to keep playing next year.
But after nursing a knee injury through this season, Saturday night’s setback proved the last straw.
“Lance Franklin has been a wonderful player with this football club and in my opinion is the greatest forward of his generation.,” said Longmire.
“He is an absolute freak of nature and we have been lucky enough to have front row seats to one of the best ever to play.
“He is a massive competitor and a wonderful teammate.
“Lance is also an extremely private and humble champion, which makes him even more endearing to those who know him.”
While the Swans never won a flag with Franklin, “Buddy” was their main forward for three grand finals and his star quality gave them a significant boost in the tough Sydney market.
He was an eight-time All Australian, most recently in 2018, when Franklin was given the extra honour of captaincy.
Asked on stage at the All-Australian function what the skipper would tell his honorary team if they played, Franklin grinned and said “kick it to me”.
It was classic Franklin – a freakishly talented key forward who lit up the game with his on-field exploits.
At his peak, Franklin was unstoppable and his highlights feature some of the best goals in AFL history.
Franklin’s playing honours are elite and he will surely join Farmer as a legend in the Australian Football Hall Of Fame.
Along with the two flags and eight All-Australian selections, Franklin finished equal runner-up in the 2014 Brownlow Medal.
He is the most recent player to kick 100 games in a season, with 113 in 2008.
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has accused Gold Coast AFL rival Touk Miller of some below-the-belt antics that left him with a bruised “groin region”.
The pair’s long-running rivalry hit new heights on Saturday, Zorko furious after Miller laid a diving tackle that saw one hand slip towards the Lions veteran’s groin.
Miller avoided any penalty for the incident, but did cop a $1500 fine for his part in a fourth-quarter scuffle as the Suns ran away with a 41-point win that ended Brisbane’s nine-game winning streak against them.
Zorko had to be dragged away from that contest and was still fired up on Monday.
“It’s interesting, you’re allowed to grab the groin region now and squeeze it and do whatever you want to it,” Zorko said on SENQ Breakfast.
“So that’s an interesting rule that’s been cleared by the AFL.
“It’s quite interesting that (he) got off. We had really good evidence to support the case.
“I tell you what, my groin region is quite bruised at the moment. It’s funny how that all happens.”
To be found guilty of misconduct, the Lions would have to prove Miller’s actions were intentional.
“It must have been an accident … it’s an accident when they get up and smile and laugh about it, isn’t it,” Zorko said.
Miller and Zorko’s running battle has been the captivation of the Queensland rivalry, Miller admitting the fashion of their drought-breaking victory was as satisfying as it was crucial to keeping their faint finals hopes alive.
“There was part relief, excitement and thrill we could put them to the sword,” Miller said post-game.
“We kicked some goals late and had that bit of party time … I was happy to be in the moment and relish that.”
The loss was a missed opportunity for Brisbane to jump Port Adelaide, who were beaten later on Saturday by Adelaide, into second place.
The Lions could be without influential defender Keidean Coleman for this weekend’s trip to face Fremantle, the club yet to provide an update after he suffered an eye injury from accidental contact against Gold Coast.
Brodie Grundy faces a fight to break back into Melbourne’s best team before the AFL finals after Max Gawn and a new-look forward line fired the Demons to a fourth straight win.
Gawn was outstanding as a solo ruckman in Sunday’s 32-point victory over Richmond at the MCG, which put fourth-placed Melbourne within touching distance of a top-two spot.
Remodelled forward Harry Petty (six goals) and young gun Jacob van Rooyen (four) had career-best outings in attack, and Jake Melksham (four) was also effective.
Their impressive performances came as high-profile recruit Grundy slogged away in difficult conditions with VFL side Casey.
Gawn, who was dominant against Richmond’s Ivan Soldo in the second half, has relished playing as a solo ruckman since Grundy was dropped three weeks ago.
“We’ll continue to operate in that way while he’s doing what he does,” Demons coach Simon Goodwin said.
“But he’s not young – he’s a bit old, Maxy – so we’ll keep looking after him as well.”
Asked whether Gawn would need a week off before the finals, Goodwin said: “It’s been a different year for Max.
“Last year he carried the full load for the whole year but this year he’s had the support of Brodie and at times we’ve really loved that combination.
“We’ll continue to assess that as we go forward but we’re not a closed book to anything.
“At the moment, Max is playing well and the team is functioning well, and we’ll do whatever is best for the team.”
Former Collingwood ruckman Grundy was scoreless from 10 disposals and had 31 hit-outs in Casey’s one-point defeat to Williamstown on Sunday and appears set for another week in the VFL.
“Brodie has embraced the opportunity to make this combination (with Gawn) great,” Goodwin said.
“It’s been good but we want to make it great, and he’ll continue to do that.
“He had a really tough day at Casey. I think it was 40kmh winds down there so it wasn’t the best day for a forward.
“But his attitude towards it and the impact he had in matchplay at training during the week, you can see he’s improving all the time.”
Melbourne take on second-from-bottom North Melbourne at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena this Sunday.
© AAP
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.