As the 2015 year comes to a close we take a closer look at some of the best goals from the Swans throughout the 2015 season.
Whether it was a Lance Franklin special or a freak act from Luke Parker there was plenty for Swans fans to be excited about in front of the big sticks in 2015.
5. Buddy’s pirouette…
Is there anything Lance Franklin can’t do?
Franklin called the ball in long during the final quarter of the Swans’ Round 7 clash against Geelong, backing himself one-on-one against Cats defender Tom Lonergan.
Sam Reid answered the call.
The ball was bought to ground with Franklin the first to respond. He gathered, blind turned Steven Motlop (which is no mean feat) and snapped truly from the pocket.
“He’s a star…” said Channel 7’s Brian Taylor following the great display of athleticism.
Tell us something we don’t know.
4. Jetta from long range…
Snapping accurately is difficult enough, try doing it from the top of the 50m and on the run.
That’s exactly what Lewis Jetta did in the Swans’ Round 6 clash against Melbourne at the MCG.
A bending ball shouldn’t travel the distance but this one did on this occasion which had Brian Taylor and his fellow commentators stunned during the Channel 7 broadcast.
“When he kicked around the corner I thought he’d only get this to the top of the square, there’s no way known he can get the distance on it but it just kept going,” Matthew Richardson said.
“That’s unbelievable.”
The most impressive thing about the goal was Jetta had been the one who drove the Swans into attack, putting a fancy dribbler in the path of Ben McGlynn who handpassed to Dan Hannebery who then handballed back to a hard running Jetta.
The rest is history.
3. Buddy winds up…
We’ll ask again… Is there anything Buddy can’t do?
It’s more of a rhetorical question, because there’s not. Franklin showed, in Hawthorn colours, what he’s capable of and that magic has continued during his time in red and white.
A great example was his goal from outside 50m against the Crows. In a match dedicated to his good friend Adam Goodes, Buddy shrugged a lingering injury to thrill the SCG crowd.
Marking the ball on the Clive Churchill Stand flank and with Adelaide defender Daniel Talia stringently manning the mark, Franklin looked inboard for a potential option before setting his sights on goals.
He looked hesitant and few, at that moment, could predict what would come next.
After a few stutters, that powerful left boot let fly from about 55m out and the ball went sailing through the big sticks.
It was indeed “trademark Franklin”.
2. Goodes gets going…
Time and time again Adam Goodes showed glimpses of his brilliant best.
Even at 35 years of age, Goodes could show the AFL’s young guns are thing or two about football.
This came to the fore in Round 14 against the Power when a contested ball popped out on centre wing.
On the end of it was Goodes who, showing trademark athleticism, took on and outsprinted Power youngster Ollie Wines all the way to the 50m arc.
The dual Brownlow Medallist and 372-gamer then had the class to convert.
It’s hard to believe we’ll never see Adam Goodes in full flight on a football field again.
1. Luke makes his own luck…
“You can’t do that…surely?” was the reaction from Fox Footy commentator Dwayne Russell after Luke Parker’s stumbling goal against GWS in Round 3.
Well, Dwayne, he did and not even a goal review could take the incredible moment away from the 2014 Club Champion.
Parker was front and centre to a long kick into the full-forward line. Competing deep was Kurt Tippet who bought the footy to ground where the star midfielder swooped.
The momentum and motion of gathering the footy around his ankles was all a bit too much for the 24-year-old who took three or four wobbly steps before stumbling to the ground.
Thankfully the quick-thinker threw the ball on the boot, to drop-kick the ball past the Giants’ defence and through the big sticks.
