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Relentless footy fans shoot Buddy Franklin as swans are blown off the park in grand finale: ‘I didn’t know he was playing today’
- Buddy Franklin was anonymous when swans were thrashed by Geelong
- Cats took a 35-point lead after a dominant first quarter at the MCG
- Geelong scored nine goals in the third term and kept Sydney one behind
- Franklin had three touches and kicked 0.1 through the first three quarters
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Footy fans turned on Lance Franklin as the Sydney Swans were on the receiving end of a memorable shellacking against Geelong in the grand final.
Franklin made history in Round 3 against the Cats when he became only the sixth player in VFL/AFL history to score 1,000 goals, but he and the Swans had little to celebrate in the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Just days after the 35-year-old announced he had signed a 12-month extension to stay in Sydney until the end of next season, he found himself on the losing side in a grand final for the third time since joining the Swans. came. in 2014.
Buddy had three touches and kicked 0.1 through the first three quarters of the grand final
The Cats jumped off the block and nearly destroyed Sydney in the first quarter, leading by 35 points – the biggest first quarter margin in a grand final since 1989.
Geelong led 36 at halftime and the defeat continued into the second half, with the Cats scoring six goals in the third quarter, while the Swans were confined to a solitary deficit.
All of this effectively eliminated Franklin from the game, racking up a measly three disposals in the first three terms, taking a 0.1 kick.
And fans wasted no time declaring the veteran striker “missing in action” when it mattered most.
Some fans claimed they didn’t even know Franklin was on the field on Saturday
Footy fans were quick to make fun of Franklin’s negligible contribution to the game
The swans were driven from the park by Geelong in a one-sided match in the MCG
Fans joked that the swans just didn’t show up for the Saturday afternoon grand finale
Franklin was so anonymous that sometimes it seemed like he wasn’t even playing
Some, meanwhile, are questioning Franklin’s decision to play for another year. The forward turns 36 before the next season starts and time seems to be catching up with him.
Others noted that, for all his statistical genius, Franklin’s Sydney career may never feel like a complete success if he never wins a flag.
The 35-year-old has scored 52 goals this season – the sixth time he has kicked at least 50 majors in Sydney in nine years – to take his tally for the Swans to 467 goals in 158 appearances.
Franklin was effectively kept out of the game by a stifling Cats backline
Others noted that Franklin’s Sydney career, for all his statistical genius, may never feel like a complete success if he never wins a flag.
Franklin has lost all three Grand Finals he has played with the Swans in nine seasons
The veteran striker turns 36 before the next season starts and looks like time is catching up
He scored 580 goals in 182 appearances at Hawthorn, won two premierships with the Hawks in 2008 and 2013, but lost to Sydney in 2012.
After swapping the Hawks for the Swans in late 2013, Franklin led Sydney to the grand final in his first season with the club, but lost to Hawthorn.
Sydney and Franklin again reached the Grand Final in 2016, but lost to the Western Bulldogs.