Star Sydney Swans forward Lance Franklin addressed the media ahead of training at the SCG on Thursday morning.

The four-time Coleman medallist will celebrate his 300^th AFL match as Sydney meets St Kilda at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.

Here are some key quotes from the press conference.

Looking ahead to Saturday

“I’ve finally got my body right and am ready to get out there on Saturday. I’m feeling good and I’m excited. It’s going to be a huge day for the footy club with Macca’s (Jarrad McVeigh) and Kizza’s (Kieren Jack) last games. Everyone’s excited about it and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

Reflecting on journey to 300 games

“I am definitely very proud. To play 300 games you’ve got to be doing something right. I’m really looking forward to getting out there, playing with the boys and hopefully getting a good win with the boys.”

Injury-hampered season

“It’d be nice to have a pre-season this summer. I think the biggest thing is not being able to have a good pre-season. I had the groin issue last year and I had surgery on that and that was probably a slower recovery than what we had thought. I think this year it’s about having a good pre-season. I probably only had three or four weeks for the last pre-season leading into Round 1. It wasn’t enough and in theory I could have waited a few more weeks to come back, but that’s what you do.” 

Future years

“There’s definitely plenty left in the tank. I’m very confident I’ve got plenty of good football in front of me. As I said, I think a pre-season will really help and I’ve got no doubt I can get back to my best next year.”

Milestone love

“Not only at the Swans but my ex-teammates at the Hawks have been great this week. I’ve received plenty of calls and messages. There’s definitely plenty of love which is great.”

A special week for the club 

“The boys are really excited. There’s a great feeling in the change rooms and the boys are ready to train. There will definitely be a lot of emotion on the ground on Saturday for two players who’ve been unbelievable for our footy club for a long period of time, and there’s no doubt there will be some sad faces in the crowd, but it’ll be good to show our respect to two guys who have done so much for the club.”