Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis says Lance Franklin’s decision to snub Steven May’s handshake before Sydney’s qualifying final against Melbourne woke up the Demons “beast”.
May last Friday night lined up on Franklin and offered to shake the Swans superstar’s hand just seconds before the opening bounce – only for Franklin to decline the offer.
The multiple All-Australian duo were then central to engrossing subplot during the game, with every one-on-one contest and off-ball scuffle hard to ignore.
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May, though, decisively took the points, keeping Franklin goalless from seven disposals and losing just one of his eight defensive one-on-one contests. The Melbourne backman also went at 76 per cent by foot and amassed 23 disposals, 16 intercepts (6 intercept marks), seven spoils and 583m gained.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, Lewis – who played alongside both Franklin and May – said the Swans veteran made the wrong call pre-game.
“As experienced as Buddy is, you still learn you’ve got to shake Steven May’s hand. So anyone else that is watching, if you wake up the beast, it can actually do more harm than good,” Lewis told AFL 360.
“It’s the only time Buddy’s gone goalless all year and he was on an All-Australian defender.
“I was at the game and I saw these two come together and ‘Maysy’ put out a hand and Bud didn’t shake his hand. I thought straight away ‘that’s a mistake’.
“Maysy likes to talk, he likes to be a little bit jovial. As soon as you rattle the cage, for me that’s when he plays his absolute best – and we saw it on Friday night.”
Despite Sydney’s mighty win over Melbourne, Franklin’s output was a key talking point post-game, with the 35-year-old uncontracted beyond this season.
AFL legend Leigh Matthews questioned how much impact Franklin could have on the field in 2023.
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“I reckon Buddy is looking old to me,” Matthews told 3AW Football.
“Just over the last month … all of a sudden someone said to me once ‘you can look old overnight’ – and I suspect you would concern yourself with what he’s capable of doing next year.”
Asked if Franklin was “right at the end” of his career, triple All-Australian Eddie Betts told AFL 360: “Watching the game on the weekend against an All-Australian full-back, who’s an absolute superstar of the game now in Steven May, it was tough to watch.
“Steven May won everything every time the ball went down to Buddy. But I would say hold off on that (‘Buddy is done’ talk) because they’re playing in a prelim at home.
“Then he’s got Darcy Moore coming up – he kept Tom Hawkins to one goal – or Brennan Cox – who kept Aaron Naughton to one goal – if they get up. So after that game, I’ll assess then. But I reckon he’s still got it.”
Betts pointed out that Franklin played a crucial role in helping flip the momentum of Friday night’s qualifying final in the Swans’ favour, despite his limited output on the scoreboard.
“I reckon Bud turned that game for Sydney at that point when he got that free kick and the downfield 50 and they kicked that goal – and then he got another free kick. It actually turned the game for Sydney,” Betts said.
