Like the man himself,Lance Franklin’s exit from the AFL and the Swans was understated.Credit:Phil Hillyard
To be forced by injury to give it up is a tragic way to go for one of the AFL’s all-time greats,who leaves the Swans and the city he’s called home for the past decade in the same way he arrived:very suddenly.
Nobody saw his nine-year,$10-million deal coming. Certainly not the GWS Giants,who broke the news to an unsuspecting world with this immortal tweet on October 1,2013:“The GIANTS have withdrawn their offer to Buddy Franklin based on advice that he will accept an offer from the Swans”. Boom – out of nowhere,like a Buddy snap from an impossible angle.
Some may argue that because the Swans didn’t win a premiership in Franklin’s 172 games in red and white that the move was a bust. They are wrong.
What he gave them,money couldn’t buy:a certain magnetism that only generational superstars like him can provide,a permanent relevance that helped them cut through Sydney’s crowded sporting market and stave off any hint of building apathy. If Buddy was playing,you had to keep at least one eye on the SCG,if you couldn’t go along in person.
Franklin celebrates one of his five goals against Port Adelaide at the SCG in 2014.Credit:Anthony Johnson