Lance Franklin barely had an impact in the grand final.Credit:Scott Barbour
Against Geelong,he was almost unsighted. It isn’t even really fair to say he was beaten by Jack Henry (though he was);the fact is,the ball was rarely in his orbit. He simply never got a look-in. This was not a good day to be a key forward for the Swans.
In that,he wasn’t alone. Nor was it his fault. The fault was collective,and started further up the field:the final inside-50 count was 65-32,Geelong’s way. Contested possessions were 150-110. In short,the Swans were bullied.
Franklin’s first touch came two minutes in,high up on a half-back flank:a handball that missed its mark and squirted out of bounds. Normally,that sort of thing would be wiped aside as meaningless. With the uselessness of hindsight,it was the beginning of a bad day.
It was Franklin’s only possession for the first quarter. His first real look at the ball was a skied kick from Chad Warner which he lost on the descent. Minutes later,a pass by Will Hayward fell short. At that moment,his frustration became visible,as the game began to slip away.
By the second quarter,it was already just about gone. His first genuine involvement was a snap from ground level that went wide. Again,he followed the ball up the ground,and marked in front of Tom Stewart at half-back.
And that – until those two final-quarter touches,and those Bronx cheers – was it,from one of the highest-impact players the game has ever known. It is just as well,earlier this week,he quietly signed on for “just one more” year. For him – for fans – it shouldn’t end like this.