We make a call on Lance Franklin’s best 10 career games as the star Sydney Swans forward zeroes in on his 300th AFL match against St Kilda at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.
10. Round 22, 2008
Franklin wasn’t at his scintillating best in Hawthorn’s final match of the 2008 home-and-away campaign, but a game that saw him boot his 100th goal of the season demands a place in the top 10. When the emerging Hawk slotted a set shot in the opening term of Hawthorn’s clash with Carlton at Docklands Stadium, he became just the 57th player in VFL/AFL history to have kicked 100 goals in a season. Just three players – Matthew Lloyd twice, Fraser Gehrig once and Franklin once – have achieved the feat in the 21st century, and no one has done it since Franklin.
9. Round 13, 2014
Franklin was sublime as Sydney escaped with a four-point victory over Port Adelaide at the SCG in Round 13, 2014. The star Swan snared five goals, including a pair of six-pointers that established a game-breaking 13-point lead midway through the final term – and the fourth of the lot was breathtaking. Franklin latched on to the footy on the left wing, spun around and unloaded a 70-metre bomb into an open goal square to send the SCG crowd delirious. He also finished the match with 23 possessions.
8. Round 6, 2007
The powerhouse Hawk treated an MCG crowd to a nine-goal blitz as Hawthorn trumped Essendon in Round 6, 2007. As he’s so often done on the road to 300 games, he tore the game open with five goals in the second term to set up a 35-point win.
7. Round 21, 2014
Franklin celebrated his 200th match in devastating fashion, stunning St Kilda with nine goals at the SCG in Round 21, 2014 to inspire his new club to a 71-point victory.
6. Round 1, 2018
The West Australian ensured the first men’s AFL match at Perth’s Optus Stadium was marked in memorable fashion, blasting home eight goals to rocket to an early lead in the race for the Coleman Medal. Franklin also gathered 21 touches and nine marks.
5. Round 7, 2017
With pressure mounting on the winless Swans as they emerged on the SCG for Round 7, 2017, Franklin decided it was time to resurrect his team’s faltering season. The juggernaut forward showed the Brisbane Lions how to roar, storming to eight goals to lead the Swans to a 54-point win. It had taken a while, but Sydney was on the board for season 2017.
Star Sydney Swans forward Lance Franklin celebrates a goal against the Brisbane Lions in Round 7, 2017.
4. Round 23, 2017
Franklin trailed West Coast Eagles star Josh Kennedy by five goals as he soldiered up the race for the final round of the 2017 home-and-away season, but he’d depart the SCG turf three hours later sitting five majors in front. The former Hawk booted 10.2 to eclipse Carlton’s total by five points, and with Kennedy managing just one goal on the following day, Franklin would collect his fourth and most recent Coleman Medal.
3. 2008 qualifying final
Franklin is a master of the big stage and he showed exactly that as Hawthorn met the Western Bulldogs in a 2008 qualifying final. The towering Hawk booted eight goals to spearhead a 51-point Hawthorn win at the MCG.
2. 2007 elimination final
Hawthorn fans will never forget the day Franklin booted seven goals at Docklands Stadium in a 2007 elimination final. The gun Hawk sealed victory with his seventh goal of the afternoon, slotting a set shot from outside 50 in the dying stages of the match to deliver a three-point win.
1. Round 10, 2012
Relentless could be the best word to describe the most prolific return of Franklin’s career. The superstar forward bagged 13 goals as the Hawks crushed the Roos in a 115-point victory at Launceston’s York Park in Round 10, 2012, with his 13th sailing through on the final siren. Franklin also collected 23 disposals, 11 marks and six tackles.