Outgoing Sydney Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland was confident for the majority of the 2013 season that star forward Lance Franklin would join the Club.

Franklin joined the Swans at the completion of the 2013 season on a nine-year deal under free agency rules.

In his final interview with sydneyswans.com.au, Ireland said despite his confidence of a deal being done from as early as January that year, he was not satisfied until the superstar’s signature was on paper.

“I probably thought we had him for the best part of eight or nine months, but I didn’t know,” Ireland told sydneyswans.com.au. 

“The reality is that you cannot do a deal, because in the end whatever we offered Lance then Hawthorn could have matched.

“When Lance announced that he was coming to us, we still didn’t know, because we then had to submit the contract and we were waiting to see what Hawthorn would do with it.

“I don’t think he seriously considered anywhere else.”

Ireland said he was confident Sydney would get their man after strong negotiations that dated back long before the deal was signed.

“In talking to his manager, he had never been directed in that regard (to join the Giants),” Ireland said.

“The Giants made an approach to Pickers maybe four or five months after we had already started discussions, so I think they were always late to the party and he was never going there.

“The AFL might have wanted him to, but I am sure they hadn’t entered any discussion to say that is where he should go.”

Franklin has played in two Grand Finals since joining the Swans but is yet to win the ultimate silverware in the red and white, something that has attracted criticism from some experts. 

Ireland said such criticism was ridiculous.

“I have heard a couple of people say it but I think it is lazy journalism and an easy headline,” Ireland said.

“Does that mean that Matthew Richardson’s whole career was a failure at Richmond, should Richmond never have recruited him?

“There are a vast number of players who have joined clubs and no one player is ever going to be the difference between winning a premiership or not.”

Franklin has four years remaining at the Swans having played 108 games for the Club since the start of the 2014 season. In that time, he has kicked 337 goals, claimed four All-Australian guernseys, two Coleman Medals, among other achievements.

“Lance’s absolute love of being involved in footy and his knowledge of the game which is first-class meant that we were confident that he would go close to playing out that full time,” Ireland revealed.

“There is no guarantees but he hadn’t missed much footy and his body was in good nick."

See the full interview with outgoing CEO Andrew Ireland and award winning journalist Mike Sheahan on SwansTV.