It's hard to know where to start with Lance Franklin.

With the statistical masterpiece he's created over nineteen seasons? With his immeasurable influence on inspiring the next generation of First Nations footballers? Or perhaps the untold joy he's provided football purists across Australia?

Ok, let's start with joy.

I clearly remember the day he truly announced himself to us. I sat in the Churchill Stand when Sydney played Port Adelaide in a 2014 top-of-the-table clash. In his infancy as a Swan, Franklin turned on a match-winning final quarter display that made forty-two thousand Sydneysiders utterly jubilant.

His long-time teammate and all-time Bloods great, Josh Kennedy, shared the field with Franklin that day, as he did for thirteen years, and that game, among others, brings Kennedy into a particular state of awe.

'We weren't playing well that day, and he basically put us on his shoulders and carried us over the line,' Kennedy says. 'There were many more games like that when he won the game off his own boot, and at times you found yourself watching on as a playing spectator, watching him just do his thing.'

Kennedy met Franklin in 2007, when Josh joined the Hawks, and Buddy was on the verge of compiling one of the greatest seasons imaginable. 'He was a rock star at that stage,' Kennedy recalls.

There's always been an aura about Franklin. When the Swans orchestrated one of the biggest recruiting deals in the game's history to bring him to the SCG, it caused carnage across the league. The biggest name in football arrived in the country's biggest city, and he continues to embrace the spotlight.

Swans champion and premiership star Dan Hannebery was holidaying with Kennedy and a collection of teammates when the news broke of Buddy's imminent arrival. 'A few of us were in Bali together, and I remember when the article came through,' Hannebery recalls.

'We were all pretty stoked because we'd just come off a Prelim Final, missing players with injuries, so we knew we were around the mark. So, to bring in someone of his calibre had us all excited at the proposition. It was a massive coup for the club, and we were all pumped'.

While his new teammates had experienced firsthand the damage he could inflict on an opposition, it was Franklin's training standards that soon had everyone's attention.

'His athleticism and running ability during pre-season and during the season was just unbelievable,' Kennedy adds. 'To see how he trains and how he goes about preparing from week to week is so beneficial for everyone. We've been fortunate to see all the great things he can do, but it's all due to hard work. It's about his love for the game, his competitiveness, and his will to win - that overrides everything for him.'

Through means only Franklin himself could explain, he has cultivated such powerful self-belief that, when combined with his unrelenting work ethic and undoubted skill, it results in an unstoppable force.

American psychiatrist Phil Stutz believes that creating such inner authority is due to connecting with a higher force - self-expression. He says you only need to watch little kids playing to see how they express themselves freely and exuberantly. That higher force has a magical quality, and when it finds us as adults, it drives us to reveal ourselves in the most truthful, genuine way, allowing us to perform with unusual intensity and clarity.

That's precisely how Lance Franklin plays his footy; people have always loved watching him play. 'When he arrived, he generated so much interest, a lot of eyes watching on TV, and was responsible for a lot of bums on seats at the SCG too,' Hannebery says.

'What he's done from a playing point of view is unparalleled and extraordinary. However, what he's done for the code up in Sydney is important to recognise. It's hard to measure, but the interest and the energy he's created are palpable, and we could all feel that. His contribution to growing the game has been phenomenal.'

Buddy grew up in the tiny Western Australian town of Dowerin. It's Ballardong Nyoongar country, and he grew up around a loving family and a supportive community, with sport as his lifeblood. His family includes many talented sportspeople, and he quickly fell in love with football.

While his trajectory toward superstardom wasn't always apparent, his upbringing contributed greatly to what is now the reality. A recent sports science study from the Universities of Portsmouth and Bath, UK, highlights key traits that elite sportspeople share. Among them is the athlete's access to high-quality relationships and support.

Franklin is renowned at the Swans for his contributions as a teammate. 'He's obviously a superstar of the competition, a legend of the game,' Kennedy says. 'But, he's very sure of his values and where his commitments lie. He found being away from his family during the Covid bubbles extremely hard, but to have him there, to have him anywhere, is just such a boost for the whole team, simply because of who he is.'

Playing as midfielders meant that both Kennedy and Hannebery were crucial cogs in the team's forward-half connection. Hannebery credits Franklin's knowledge of the game and ability to impart that as another of his former teammate's strengths.

'When you had the ball in the midfield, you naturally looked for him because he's such a big presence. After the game, or even during the game, he'd let you know how you were going, how he wanted the ball coming in, and how to weight your kicks into him, which is exactly what you want from your forwards.'

'He's a really smart, high-IQ footballer, and whenever he speaks up in meetings, he's always on the mark, and everyone listens. He knows the game as well as anyone, but he also really cares about his teammates and the footy club'.

'I haven't been with him these past few years, but I know that the way he prepares and the sacrifices he makes on his body just to get up and play each week is an extraordinary thing. So, he's a special player, but in that regard, as a teammate, he's taken things to another level,' Hannebery says.

When you speak with Lance Franklin, you receive softly spoken, thoughtful words delivered with humility and respect. In many ways, his demeanor belies his on-field persona, one of supreme confidence and grandiosity. Ask him to indulge in his personal performances, and you'll receive careful deflections as the discussion drifts back toward team-centric statements.

Now, that doesn't mean his many highlights aren't enjoyed by the man himself, and tomorrow night when he runs out for game 350, a swarm of former teammates will be there watching on, ready to celebrate and relive those precious moments with him.

Moments like finals wins, like his dash down the Adelaide Oval wing, resulting in one of the game's most illuminating goals, which prompted Kennedy and Hannebery to look at each other in disbelief. And, of course, the events of 25th March 2022 at the Sydney Cricket Ground will live on forever, as his 1,000th goal created scenes like no other.

'That was very special, and I feel very, very fortunate to have been a part of it,' Kennedy says. 'Two things stand out for me from that night. Firstly, he had family fly in from the States and all over, so there was a fair bit of pressure on him to kick four goals.'

'The fact he had four shots on goal, and they all went through, just showcases his ability to stand up under pressure and deliver in the big moments. To do that, with all the build-up and outside noise, was pretty amazing.'

'And the second thing was being there with him to see his emotion afterwards, to see him really enjoy the moment and listen to him talk about the whole experience. Then, of course, being able to celebrate with his family and close friends after it all,' recalls Kennedy.

I once asked Franklin what he enjoyed most about playing at the SCG. His response was swift and unflinching. 'Winning. Having a winning culture and having a team that never gives in,' he said. 'That's what we're about as a football club, and we fight to the death in every game we play. We love our home ground, we love our supporters, and we want to put a smile on their faces. We want the four points every week. Every time we go out there.'

Buddy's 350th match presents a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a footballer whose kind we've never seen before. His friends will honour a most highly-respected and valued teammate who has impacted them in ways he may not even know.

When Kennedy and Hannebery were asked to capture what Franklin has meant to them, the club, and the game, they both understandably pause, then speak with sincerity. I can feel the emotion in their voices.

'It's hard to put into words,' shares Kennedy.

'He's a champion footballer and a champion teammate. I will certainly look back on our time together - and I do already - and think of how amazing it was to have played alongside him. I think about how much I learned about the game from him and what it requires. He's an absolute legend of the game and an incredible person to have in our football club both on and off the field.'

Dan Hannebery concurs. 'He deserves all the accolades he gets.'

'It's tough to summarise what he's done for the game, and I think it will take people a while even to understand that for themselves, but at the end of it all, he'll look back and feel very proud and humbled by the amount of lives he's been able to impact in a positive way.'

'He's driven so much interest in kids, supporters, and people wanting to go to the footy. It takes a pretty special player to do that, and I think he's every bit of that. I don't think we'll see many players, if any, like Buddy Franklin ever again,' Hannebery concludes.

Our club stands proudly on the precipice of a 150th anniversary, and the legacy left by the greats lives on in the Bloods of today. Sport is drama, and we've experienced our fair share, but knowing what Lance Franklin is capable of, I sense there's more on the way.

Witness history as Buddy plays his 350th game at the SCG this Thursday night. Don't miss out - purchase tickets below.