Culture and mates what matter to Buddy
Greg Denham
The Australian, May 25
Buddy Franklin has a few things on his mind leading up to the Swans match against Hawthorn at the SCG tomorrow night.
But one will not be the achievement of another personal milestone, against his former club where he won two premierships, a best-and-fairest award, four All-Australian honours and two Coleman Medals as the code’s leading goalkicker.
Franklin needs four goals to enter the top 10 of the competition’s all-time leading goalkickers, behind former St Kilda and Sydney full-forward Tony Lockett, who tops the list with 1360 goals. He is on 814 goals, three behind former Footscray and Fitzroy forward Bernie Quinlan, who currently rounds out the top 10.
With another five and a half seasons left on his long contract, Franklin can expect to pass the 1000-goal mark at some stage, a feat only ever achieved by five other players.
Ever the team player, foremost in Franklin’s mind will be a fourth straight win for Sydney to keep them on track for an eighth straight finals campaign after losing their first six matches this season.
But he has a few other thoughts on a personal level as well, including celebrating the return season of his mate and Hawks captain Jarryd Roughead, and representing his culture in the AFL’s indigenous round.
Franklin will face the Hawks for the eighth time since moving north following the 2013 Hawthorn premiership. He has twice been held goalless, with his best haul being four goals in the losing 2014 grand final. He has three bags of three goals and once booted two.
In trying to qualify to win his first flag with his second club, Franklin said the novelty of playing his former club had now worn off.
“They are just another club and a good one at that,” he said. “They obviously lost last week against Collingwood, so we’ll have to be at our best to get a win.”
Stick that up your jumper, boys
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, May 25
LANCE Franklin says the jumper punch will quickly be a thing of the past if the AFL stays true to its word and starts suspending players who take a cheap shot at their opponents.
A procession of players have been fined for jumper punches and blows to the stomach in recent seasons. It’s clearly getting under the skin of AFL operations boss Simon Lethlean, who this week said bans would be dished out for future infractions.
Franklin has been involved in plenty of exchanges over the years and in recent weeks with Carlton’s Alex Silvagni, Brisbane’s Nick Robertson and North Melbourne’s Robbie Tarrant.
“I think it will (get stamped out),” Franklin said.
“As players you know the rules and if they set that I’m pretty sure they’ll stick to it. They make the rules, the AFL, so we’ll have to move forward with it otherwise you’ll miss games and that’s not what you want.
“If you are going to miss games it will be stamped out of the game straight away.”
Mitchell deal has paid off
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 25
TRADING away a player who can pick up 50 possessions a game might not look like good business, but Tadhg Kennelly is convinced the Swans have come out of the Tom Mitchell deal better off because they have addressed their need for speed in the midfield.
Swans premiership player Kennelly believes there wasn’t room for Mitchell in the same midfield as Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker.
“This deal has been a win for both clubs,” Kennelly said.
“Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Tom Mitchell are all similar types, they’re all ball magnets but not quick. You can’t have three players like that in the same midfield group.”
Franklin wears his Indigenous pride and heritage on his tattooed sleeves
James Buckley
SMH, May 25
To know how much the AFL Indigenous round means to Swans superstar Lance Franklin is simply to admire the canvas of tattoos inked across his bulging arms.
The face of his mother Ursula is tattooed on his right forearm, while further up is a depiction of his father, Lance snr.
On his left arm is a detailed mosaic of Aboriginal lore, including the face of an elder, a kangaroo, a tree and a didgeridoo – a collection of Indigenous symbols he uses to represent his heritage.
"Buddy" will celebrate that heritage at the SCG on Friday night against his old side Hawthorn in the Swans' annual Marn Grook fixture, as the contribution of Indigenous Australians to the national game is honoured across the league.
He'll brandish his Aboriginal history, and those wonderfully woven tattoos, with pride.
"Having the Indigenous heritage means a lot to me, so I ended up looking at some books and exactly what I wanted to put together as a story," Franklin said.
"It's a picture of my mum and my dad and everything else.
"To be able to play in Indigenous round is very special, not only to me but to everyone. It recognises exactly what Indigenous players bring to the game.
"Any time you come up against the Hawks as a club we look forward to that. What a night, Friday night, Indigenous round, it's going to be a special one."
Locking down former Sydney Swan Tom Mitchell will be key says Lance Franklin
James Buckley
SMH, May 25
The red-hot Swans must clamp down on former Sydney midfielder Tom Mitchell in Friday's Marn Grook clash against Hawthorn at the SCG according to superstar forward Lance Franklin.
Mitchell was squeezed out of the Swans in last year's trade period and ended up at the Hawks with Hawthorn's round-one draft pick going the other way, and the ball magnet leads the competition in disposals this year with 323 through the opening nine rounds.
He collected 50 of those against Collingwood last week, but was unable to prevent the club's sixth loss of the season which left Hawthorn floundering in second last on the ladder.
Sydney meanwhile head into Indigenous Round on the back of three-straight triumphs and sit just two wins outside of the eight ahead of next weekend's bye despite a horror 0-6 start to the season.
A win over the Hawks would confirm last year's grand finalists are back on track in 2017 and the Swans will start as raging hot favourites, but Franklin said that would mean nothing should Mitchell be allowed to get off the leash.
"There's no doubt that we'll be spending a bit of time on Tom and making sure that we curtail his influence around the contest," Franklin said.
AFL to relax player movement rules
Caroline Wilson
The Age, May 25
One of the most contentious issues in the modern game - free agency - is about to be relaxed in the new collective bargaining agreement with the players.
Under a raft of proposed changes, the AFL Players' Association has demanded three significant reforms in a bid to allow footballers greater freedom of movement.
Fairfax Media understands that the AFL has agreed to introduce at least one of the following free agency platforms as early as next season and definitely by 2019:
- Free agency for life - any player remains a free agent after eight years of service in the game regardless of how many years he has played at his current club;
- Portable free agency - any player can move to the club of his choice after eight years' service whether or not those years have all been at the one club;
- Four-year free agency - any player earning on or under the median AFL wage would be free to choose a new club after four years of service.
Goodes booing still angers Swans boss
Neil Cordy
Daily Telegraph, May 24
The national booing disgrace which forced Adam Goodes into retirement still angers Sydney Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland.
Racist abuse of Adelaide star Eddie Betts earlier this year only reinforced the bitter disappointment felt by Ireland and across the game that such behaviour is still part of Australian society.
However, the Swans boss believes the lingering shame plays an important role in highlighting the importance of indigenous round and the role the AFL must play in changing attitudes.
The AFL’s iconic Anzac Day round has had a significant impact on regenerating understanding and respect among young people for the sacrifices of return servicemen and women and Ireland says the influence of Indigenous Round can be just as profound.
While the treatment Goodes endured still breaks Ireland’s heart, he believes it can also serve to heal.
“I have no doubt that some of the issues around the booing of Adam probably continues to make you understand how important the recognition of this round is,” Ireland told The Daily Telegraph.
“Getting over things is a relative term. I think people close to the club are still bitterly disappointed that Adam was treated that way. If you ever aren’t angry that someone was treated that way then I think you’re probably missing something in terms of what’s acceptable in Australia.
“I don’t spend every day being angry about it, but when I reflect on it, I am angry ... he shouldn’t have been treated in that way.”
Sydney’s Marn Grook game against Hawthorn on Friday night at the SCG is now in its 16th season after the Swans launched it in 2002, well before the AFL’s Indigenous Round came into play.
