An ‘automatic Legend’: Buddy’s fellow greats marvel at the one-of-a-kind forward

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Lance Franklin’s peers, and the greats before him – from Wayne Carey to Dermott Brereton – believe the superstar forward will be recognised as an AFL Legend as soon as he is eligible.

The 1066-goal spearhead’s retirement on Monday sparked a wave of tributes from the AFL community, who collectively lauded him as a game-changing, one-of-a-kind player who transformed from a precocious talent into arguably his generation’s greatest footballer.

Carey, widely regarded as the game’s No.1 player in the 1990s – and possibly ever – told this masthead that Franklin was “clearly the best of his time” but was reluctant to compare him to the stars of previous eras.

Lance “Buddy” Franklin will be remembered as one of the all-time great forwards.Credit: Phil Hillyard

“He did it differently to any other key forward, and was more of a hybrid than any of the other key forwards we’ve seen,” Carey said.

“He wasn’t anywhere near as good a mark as any of the others, but his athleticism, especially at his height, made him unique. He’s not Jonathan Brown, Nick Riewoldt or Tony Lockett, but that uniqueness needs to be celebrated.

“Signing the long-term contract and having the courage to leave a team [Hawthorn] in their prime and go to Sydney was a big leap of faith. He ultimately didn’t get a premiership [at the Swans] but went to grand finals and, with a bit of luck, would have won a flag.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s been a massive success for Sydney, with what he’s done for the game, like Lockett, Barry Hall, Paul Kelly and others before him. In the end, he was probably underpaid.”

Franklin wore Brereton’s No.23 on his back for all bar 20 of his 182 games at Hawthorn, and retained the number as a Swan, beyond one match in 2017, when he switched to No.67, in honour of the 1967 referendum that resulted in Indigenous Australians being included in the national census.

“I loved the fact he did it [wore Brereton’s number], and I loved watching him – he could do stuff I couldn’t do,” Brereton said.

“Lance won more games for his clubs than anyone we’ve seen during his reign. Every team has really good midfielders, and you get a great one every now and then, but great key forwards happen once in a blue moon.

“From my time watching the AFL, Wayne Carey is the best key forward I’ve seen, then I’d probably have Lance. I don’t think we’ve ever seen an athletic specimen like him at that size.”

Franklin made the first major free agency splash when he left the Hawks for Sydney on an extraordinary nine-year, $10 million contract, after playing a starring role in the 2013 premiership.

The man many regard as the greatest footballer of all-time: Wayne Carey.

That mega-deal followed fellow key forward Alastair Lynch’s decade-long contract to sign with Brisbane in 1994. As such, Franklin and Lynch were regularly linked, with the latter describing ‘Buddy’ as “an automatic Legend in the Hall of Fame”.

“What he’s done for the game at Hawthorn then Sydney is incredible. He evolved from an incredibly athletic, almost half-forward flanker into one of the game’s greats,” Lynch said.

“He’s in that elite group of game-changing players. The other modern one would be Gary Ablett jnr, who played a different position, but they both dominated so many games and are in that highest discussion.

“He could do it whenever you needed him, and he was such a tough match-up with that athleticism. He would bring people to the footy, and you knew you were watching one of the legitimate greats of all-time.”

Melbourne champion David Schwarz echoed Lynch’s sentiments about the box-office forward dragging fans through the gates.

“He was probably a diamond with a lot of rough edges in the early years, then as soon as he matured, he became a great very quickly,” Schwarz said.

“The way he strutted around the ground; he knew he was the peacock with the feathers – and it wasn’t arrogance, it was just self-belief. You don’t get players like him come along often, but then you blink, and they’re gone. He deserves everything coming his way.”

Lance Franklin and Phil Davis go toe-to-toe in the 2018 elimination final.Credit: AFL Photos

The last word goes to the GWS Giants defender, Phil Davis, who Franklin forged his major rivalry with, starting at Hawthorn and then across a series of high-stakes Sydney derbies for more than a decade.

Davis won some of their battles but always entered the field knowing if he blew his assignment it could cost the Giants dearly – and he remembers how they put more time into planning for Franklin than any other forward.

“He’s arguably the greatest player of our generation, and is in the discussion as the greatest player of all-time, so he’s a special player, and it was a privilege to say I got to play on him,” Davis said.

“You used to have so many plans for him – midfield plans, backline plans – and had to make sure you always had support because he was so dynamic.

“I always enjoyed playing on him, and there was this aura and presence about him that was second-to-none. He was one of those rare players who could change games, and I have enormous respect for him.”

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