Greater Western Sydney backman Sam Taylor had just been beaten pointless in a marking contestduring last month’s derby when his boyhood idol offered him some advice. And,from Taylor’s retelling of the incident,there does not seem to be any gamesmanship involved.
“It was pretty funny,” Taylor recalled this week.
“The tip was making sure I get my body closer to his body. There was one instant in the last quarter where he pushed me over.
“He was like “do you want a tip”? And I was like “of course”. Then he was like make sure you get your body,your hips closer to mine which stops me from pushing you over and using my arms to push you.
“I was like “OK”,I thanked him for it,I’ll use that.”
Franklin’s close mate Jarryd Roughead also shared his knowledge with an opponent in 2018,coaching young Footscray defender Reuben William during a VFL game.
If the Swans and Giants meet again this year in the finals,which cannot be ruled out given both clubs’ ladder positions,it could be a tutorial Franklin may live to regret.