It wasn’t the brilliant mark or the dazzling goal that brought Lance Franklin his biggest cheer on Saturday night but a mark on the SCG members’ wing in front of a sell-out crowd.
Neither here nor there in Franklin’s brilliant career, it came as the desperate Swans were hanging on, taking vital seconds out of the game at the 29-minute mark of the last quarter in the preliminary final against Collingwood.
Lance Franklin celebrates kicking a goal against Collingwood.Credit:Getty
Now joy and relief have Sydney riding the Lance Franklin fairytale towards another grand final.
Carried by a wave of noise rising from the swelling, heaving SCG, the Swans are into their third decider during the Franklin era after their victory over a gallant Collingwood.
A premiership to mark the last game of his nine-year, history-making contract with the Swans would be the ultimate reward for a player who has given AFL a presence in the harbour city.
It may also be the perfect way to end one of the most decorated AFL/VFL careers in history.
But there was nothing which suggested a finale about the way Franklin played on Saturday night.
It’s the unglamorous side of the AFL’s glamour forward which makes him such a valuable commodity for the Swans.
His 199-centimetre, 106kg frame is more battering ram than bionic body most of the time. Crashing into packs, drawing opponents and generally bulldozing a path for teammates who can make the most of the slip stream.
From the outset Franklin was doing his best to get in the way. Hi first contest saw him hit the ground like a falling log and rise gingerly to gather himself.
His second was a wrestle against the fence with his slightly maniacal opponent Brayden Maynard, who has a hair cut to match his demeanour.
The perfect coach’s contest came midway through the first quarter when Franklin was KO’ed in a pack by Collingwood’s key backman Darcy Moore.
The ball spilled free, Ryan Clarke gathered, snapped a goal and celebrated, while Franklin was attended by trainers, the collateral damage of another successful foray forward.
But off course there is the glamour stuff too. The moments of Buddy brilliance which the masses in red and white have come to see.
Like the overhead marks he claimed during the second quarter to slot his first two goal of the night.
The roars of approval they brought from the crowd were just for Buddy. Louder and longer and with greater appreciation than for anyone else.
Those two goals gave him 74 in finals, taking his to equal third with Richmond’s Jack “Skinny” Titus and behind only Hawthorn’s Jason Dunstall and Collingwood’s Gordon Coventry.
His second came from about the same spot as that more famous major in round two, when he became just the sixth player in VFL/AFL history to kick 1000 career goals.
But this wasn’t just a night for Buddy Franklin the superhero. It was a night for Buddy the battler, who was forced to deal with Collingwood’s best defender, Moore, for much of the second half.
Franklin failed to gather a possession in the third quarter, bringing back memories of the tough outing Melbourne’s All Australian full-back Stephen May gave him during the Swans’ previous match in the qualifying final.
For the only time this season Franklin failed to kick a goal, but the Swans still beat the reigning premiers by 22 points.
Which highlights that the Swans can do it without Buddy. That this new breed who have grown up under him are made of clever, stern stuff.
But they’d much rather have his brilliance and brawn. They’ll certainly need it in the grand final against Geelong next Saturday.
