Ex-Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has welcomed his former club’s strong response to the jeering of Swans superstar Lance Franklin on the weekend.
But McGuire believes the booing of Franklin – which has inflamed debate throughout the AFL landscape – could’ve somewhat been avoided if Sydney had heavily advertised it would be one of the legendary forward’s final games at the MCG.
Franklin on Tuesday opted not to comment about the booing saga, telling reporters at the SCG: “I haven’t got much to say. Everything’s been said, so I’m not going to talk about it.” The Age reported Franklin had earlier declined the opportunity to front a press conference and address the topic.
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But Swans coach John Longmire, who fronted the media, said Franklin was unfazed by booing from Collingwood supporters during the 29-point loss to the Magpies at the MCG.
Longmire said the Swans welcomed the Pies’ “very strong” response to the booing of Franklin – a joint statement from captain Darcy Moore, coach Craig McRae and chief executive Craig Kelly on Monday, saying their supporters had “fallen short” of club standard – and declared he would like to see a change in fan behaviour.
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“Any situation in footy, the booing of anyone … I personally don’t get it, but I think whether we can stop it or not it’s up to the people in the crowd to self-monitor,” he said.
“We’ll wait and see (whether booing habits change) – I think the footy community is very strong … everyone’s learning lessons.”
Speaking on his Eddie and Jimmy podcast, McGuire said the “degrees” were becoming wider on what is and isn’t acceptable from supporters – on the weekend, you’re not allowed to boo Buddy Franklin, but you’re allowed to boo Tom Papley” – adding there were a few motives for Magpies supporters to jeer.
“I think the reason for it is that most supporters believe themselves to be the 19th player. The atmosphere is there – we’ve heard numerous times this year club captains say: ‘Our supporters got us over the line, the energy we were able to draw.’ That’s legitimate,” McGuire said on the Wide World Of Sports podcast. “The great sides around the world, it’s not necessarily the teams, it’s the supporters that give them that atmosphere.
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“I don’t boo, it doesn’t enter my head. The only time I rise when the booing gets going is if one team has had one free kick to about 12 at quarter-time … so the supporters get into it. That’s part of the theatre and the like.
“But I concur with the release that came out (on Monday). The thing that we hold true to ourselves in football that I love – and I’ve had a number of international guests at the football this year already – the first thing they cannot believe is that everyone sits together … And everyone’s up and they’re ferocious in their support. So why don’t we just head that way? Why don’t we just support our players?
“You don’t have to throw rose petals in front of Buddy Franklin on the weekend, but you don’t have to give it to him the way it was – because it started early, it’s not like it built afterwards. I went back and watched the tape.
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“Buddy Franklin’s caused more mayhem for Collingwood supporters over his career than about anyone. When Buddy Franklin goes for the ball, it’s ‘the circus is coming to town’. He was the bloke, even on Sunday, that could have turned the game for the Sydney Swans had he got a couple of goals … And when your team is playing against him, it’s ‘here he comes, can you get it away from him’ – and if you do, the sigh of relief (is big). If he gets it though, you go ‘here we go, we’re in trouble’. He is a huge focus.
“But I think we’ve got to find a way of not doing that (booing).”
McGuire said some “forward thinking” by either the AFL or Sydney could’ve helped encourage all supporters at the ground to put themselves in a mindset to celebrate Franklin.
“In hindsight – this is not blaming, I’m not victim blaming – it would have been nice for the Sydney Swans, or even the AFL, to acknowledge this could’ve been one of his last games at the MCG, or one of his last games against Collingwood, for example,” he said.
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“You can have the to-and-fro on the field then you line up and you pay homage to a champion of the game. That would’ve been good in front of 70,000 … to say goodbye, to show that generosity of spirit
“That sort of thing, a bit of forward thinking on that, could have averted (the booing). But the bottom line is just don’t boo.”
McGuire urged Collingwood fans to enjoy the on-field ride McRae’s troops are giving them, adding any unnecessary negative attention wouldn’t help.
“If you’re a Collingwood supporter in this situation, all it does is bring a lot of pain and suffering to your club,” he said.
“It brings pain and suffering to a lot of people. It gives the opportunity for other people to have a go (at Collingwood). Let’s enjoy it. Let’s turn all our aggression into positivity for our team.”
