Buddy Franklin
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Lance Franklin (born 30 January 1987), also known as Buddy Franklin, is a professional
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er playing for the
Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL). He previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2005 to 2013. Regarded as the greatest forward of his generation and among the greatest players of all time, Franklin has kicked 1,047 goals, the most of any current player and the fifth-most in VFL/AFL history, and has been his clubs' leading goalkicker on 13 occasions (six for Hawthorn and seven for Sydney), kicking at least 50 goals in each of those seasons. He has been selected in the All-Australian team on eight occasions (three at full forward and five at centre half-forward), including as captain in the 2018 team, and has won four Coleman Medals throughout his career, with his biggest haul coming in 2008 with Hawthorn, when he kicked 113 goals. Franklin won two premierships, four All-Australian selections, two Coleman Medals and a Peter Crimmins Medal in his time at Hawthorn. He was Hawthorn's leading goalkicker for six consecutive seasons prior to his final season at the club in 2013, and also kicked the
AFL Goal of the Year The Goal of the Year is a competition for the best goal kicked in the Australian Football League (AFL) during that season. It is run in conjunction with the Mark of the Year competition and is currently sponsored by Rebel Sport. The winner is ...
on two occasions (in 2010 and 2013). He also received a nomination for the
2005 AFL Rising Star The NAB AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a stand out young player in the Australian Football League. The 2005 medal was won by Richmond player Brett Deledio. Eligibility Every round, an Australian Football League The Australian ...
award in round 4 of the 2005 season. After winning his second premiership at Hawthorn in 2013, Franklin moved to Sydney via free agency on a nine-year, $10 million deal, before representing
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the
2013 International Rules Series The 2013 International Rules Series (officially the 2013 Irish Daily Mail International Rules Series) was the 17th International Rules Series contested between Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian footballers from Australia. Ireland en ...
. He has won a further four All-Australian selections and two Coleman Medals playing for Sydney, and was the club's leading goalkicker in his first five seasons there. Despite suffering a number of setbacks through injury, Franklin has played 341 games, reaching 300 games in 2019 and 1,000 goals in 2022.


Early life

Franklin was born in Perth, Western Australia, into a family of Indigenous Australian heritage ( Noongar-
Wajuk Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcast ...
) and grew up in Dowerin supporting the
Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...
. Franklin's father, Lance Sr., lived in Melbourne and played hockey for Victoria before moving to Western Australia at the age of 21, later representing the state in field hockey. His mother, Ursula (née Kickett), is Aboriginal ( Nyoongar).WA's AFL pinup boy Buddy Franklin is the new Beckham
/ref> His sister, Bianca Giteau, played in the ANZ Championship for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. Derek Kickett is his uncle. Franklin is a cousin of former footballers Jeff Garlett and Dale Kickett. At the age of 15, he won a sports scholarship and boarded at Wesley College, Perth. He played one senior game for the Perth Football Club in 2004, kicking one goal,Lance Franklin
– WAFLOnline. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
and represented Western Australia at the 2004 AFL Under 18 Championships.


AFL career


Hawthorn (2005–2013)


2005: First season

After attending draft camp and showing promise, Hawthorn selected Franklin with their second pick, number five overall, in the 2004 AFL Draft. In a 2012 interview on the Fox Footy program '' On the Couch'', Franklin admitted that his "free spirit" probably scared a few clubs away from selecting him that year. Franklin made his debut in round 1 of the 2005 season against at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
and showed a strong presence up forward throughout the year, kicking 21 goals in 20 games.


2006: Promising signs

After injuring his ankle and hand early in the 2006 pre-season, Franklin made his way back to senior level through the
VFL The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
and returned in round 9 against the Sydney Swans. In round 12, he kicked six goals against Richmond, in what was his breakout game. On 13 July 2006 Franklin signed a two-year deal to remain at Hawthorn after being linked with clubs such as Essendon,
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
and the West Coast Eagles. Another six-goal game late in the season prompted predictions of Franklin to be the next big-name forward in the AFL.


2007: Breakout season

In 2007, Franklin finished the home-and-away season with 63 goals, finishing third in the Coleman Medal behind Brisbane Lions co-captain Jonathan Brown and Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich. Franklin's tally included a career-high nine goals against Essendon in round 6. However, in round 21 against the Western Bulldogs, he kicked eleven behinds with his two goals. Only Richmond's Jack Titus and St Kilda's Dave McNamara have kicked more behinds in a game without managing more than two goals. Franklin was instrumental in Hawthorn's elimination final win over the Adelaide Crows, kicking seven goals in his finals debut, including the match-winning goal from outside fifty metres with seven seconds remaining in the match. Hawthorn were eliminated from the finals the following week by North Melbourne. Franklin finished the season with an equal-third finish in Hawthorn's best-and-fairest award, the Peter Crimmins Medal, and was Hawthorn's leading goalkicker for the first time in his career.


2008: 113-goal season, first Coleman Medal and first premiership

2008 saw Franklin establish himself as one of the elite players in the competition in what proved to be his career-best season, and he won his first Coleman Medal with 102 goals in the home-and-away season. His season-high haul of nine goals came once again against Essendon in round 11. He also played for the
Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...
in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match, kicking four goals. Franklin kicked his 100th goal for the home-and-away season against Carlton in round 22 at Etihad Stadium, becoming the first player to kick 100 goals in a season since Tony Lockett in 1998, the first player to kick 100 goals in a year since Fraser Gehrig in 2004, the first Hawthorn player since Jason Dunstall in 1996, as of 2020, the last player to kick 100 goals in a year. Upon reaching the milestone, thousands of supporters stormed the field and formed a large huddle around Franklin, who was promptly ushered from the field and into the change rooms until the supporters had cleared. Prior to the match, the AFL had warned of a $6000 fine for every person who jumped the fence. He also was the first player of
Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
descent to achieve this. He then added to his tally by kicking another eight goals in the qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs, equalling Dermott Brereton's record for the most goals kicked by a Hawthorn player in a finals match. He kicked just one goal against St Kilda in the preliminary final, before Hawthorn went on to win the premiership. Although Franklin did not play a large part in the grand final, his two goals brought his season tally up to 113 goals. Franklin was named as full forward in the
2008 All-Australian team The 2008 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2008 season. The selection panel provided the 40 leading players of the year in their playing positions at the conclusion of the home a ...
, his first ever selection; he then received his first Peter Crimmins Medal for his outstanding season.


2009: Injuries and 100th game

Franklin missed the
2009 NAB Cup The 2009 NAB Cup is the Australian Football League pre-season competition that was played before the Australian Football League's 2009 Premiership season begins. It culminated with the final on 13 March 2009 played between Geelong and Collingw ...
after undergoing surgery on his thumb and his shoulder in the off-season. On his return to senior football, his form fell well short of his 2008 performances. He played his 100th game in round 19 against St Kilda at
Aurora Stadium York Park is a sports ground in the Inveresk and York Park Precinct, Launceston, Australia. Holding 19,000 people – the largest capacity stadium in Tasmania, York Park is known commercially as University of Tasmania Stadium and was formerly ...
in Launceston. During the game, one of Franklin's front teeth got knocked out during a marking contest with Saints defender Zac Dawson. In round 21, Franklin was suspended for two matches as a result of a hip-and-shoulder against Richmond midfielder Ben Cousins. Hawthorn appealed the decision, but failed. As a result, Franklin missed Hawthorn's final home-and-away match against Essendon, which the Hawks lost, and they, therefore, missed out the finals, causing Franklin to miss round 1 of the following season.


2010: Suspensions and first Goal of the Year award

Franklin missed three of the first seven matches of 2010, all through suspension, as Hawthorn lost six consecutive matches after round 1. However, Franklin was back to his best form in round 9 against Carlton at Etihad Stadium, when he led Hawthorn to a 50-point win with five goals. In round 10, Franklin was suspended for the third time in eight matches for a head-high bump on Sydney Swans' defender
Martin Mattner Martin Mattner (born 6 August 1982) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was traded to Sydney from the Crows in October 2007 in exchange for draft ...
. In round 13, Franklin effectively dragged Hawthorn over the line for a win against their arch-rival in Essendon. He kicked five goals for the match, but his last two were the standouts–the final one in particular, a goal from the boundary line on a tight angle after having run from half-back, which was later chosen as Goal of the Year. Franklin kicked five goals in Round 17 against St Kilda after returning from an ankle injury; despite his performance, the Saints forced a draw during the final seconds of the match. In round 22, Franklin kicked six goals against Collingwood, helping the Hawks clinch a three-point come-from-behind victory against the eventual premiers. It was the first time that he had kicked more than five goals since 2008. Frankin was named as centre half-forward in the
2010 All-Australian team The 2010 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2010 season. It was announced on 13 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. An initial squad of 40 pla ...
, his second selection.


2011: Second Coleman Medal

After a moderately good year in 2010, Franklin had a consistent start to the 2011 season. In round 8 against the Sydney Swans at the SCG, Franklin kicked his 400th goal for Hawthorn in a six-goal outing as the Hawks beat the Swans by 46 points. He continued his consistent goalkicking form for the remainder of the year, including a season-high eight goals in a club-record 165-point win against a young
Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...
side at the MCG in Round 21. Franklin went on to win his second Coleman Medal that year with 71 goals, despite spending a significant amount of time further up the ground. Franklin was Hawthorn's sole target up forward in their qualifying final loss to the Geelong Cats, kicking four goals. However, in the fourth quarter, he landed heavily in a marking contest and hyperextended his knee. While footage of the incident suggested possible damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, scans later revealed that he had instead suffered bone bruising and bleeding; nevertheless, most observers considered Franklin's season to be over following the loss. However, he returned the following week against the Sydney Swans, kicking another four goals and playing an important part in the Hawks' eventual win. Despite spending time in hospital with a virus in the lead-up to the preliminary final against Collingwood, Franklin was a constant danger, kicking three goals, including a dribble kick in the forward pocket from a tight angle, which almost sealed victory for Hawthorn until Collingwood kicked a late goal and won the match, eliminating the Hawks. Franklin was named in the
2011 All-Australian team The 2011 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2011 season. The team was announced on 19 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is honorary an ...
, his third selection and second as full forward.


2012: Thirteen-goal game and 500th goal

Franklin struggled early in the season with inaccurate goalkicking, kicking 21 goals and 36 behinds in his first nine matches. However, he dramatically reversed his fortunes in round 10 when he kicked a career-high thirteen goals in a 115-point drubbing of North Melbourne at Aurora Stadium. Franklin was also among five players that year to reach the milestone of 500 career goals, which occurred in a 162-point demolition of newcomers in round 15, nearly eclipsing the club-record winning margin set the year before. He was the second indigenous player to reach 500 goals, the fifth Hawthorn player, the seventh-youngest and the tenth-quickest from debut. However, Franklin suffered a hamstring injury the week before and continued to play, before injuring it further in the Giants game which, along with an illness, caused him to miss six matches. Franklin returned against Sydney at the SCG in round 22, kicking four goals in a seven-point come-from-behind victory against the eventual premiers, including three in the second quarter. Franklin played a minor role in the finals series that year, but kicked a goal late in the last quarter of the preliminary final against Adelaide which sealed the game for the Hawks, allowing them to qualify for the grand final against Sydney, where Franklin kicked three goals in a losing side. Franklin was named in the
2012 All-Australian team The 2012 All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2012 season. It was announced on 17 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is honorary and does ...
, his fourth selection and second as centre half-forward.


2013: Second Goal of the Year award and second premiership

Franklin kicked 60 goals during the 2013 season, the first time since 2006 that he had kicked less than three goals per game, as he became less of a focal point in the Hawthorn forward line, while teammate
Jarryd Roughead Jarryd Roughead (born 23 January 1987) is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach with the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Clu ...
enjoyed a career-best season with 72 goals, earning him the Coleman Medal. However, a leap and goal on the run in round 3 against Collingwood earned Franklin his second Goal of the Year. Franklin played in the
2013 AFL Grand Final The 2013 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between Hawthorn Football Club and Fremantle Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September 2013. It was the 118th annual grand final of the Australian Footb ...
in which Hawthorn defeated Fremantle; this was the second time that he had played in a Hawthorn premiership winning side. Despite this, his season was dominated by media speculation over his contract situation, and playing in a second premiership at Hawthorn only strengthened rumours of his impending departure, with many believing that he was set to finish his career at Hawthorn on a high note.


Move to Sydney

Before the start of the 2013 season, Franklin, who was in the final year of his four-year contract with Hawthorn at the time, announced that he would not begin talks with Hawthorn about a new contract until the end of the season. Having played for nine seasons at Hawthorn, he was classified as a restricted free agent at the end of the season, meaning that the club could retain Franklin if it was able to match any rival offers. Greater Western Sydney was considered the most likely destination if Franklin was to choose to leave Hawthorn. On 1 October 2013, after months of speculation dating back to before the start of the season, Greater Western Sydney shocked the football public by announcing that it had withdrawn its offer of $1.2 million per year for six years, saying that the club was of the belief that Franklin was set to sign with the Sydney Swans. The Sydney Swans' chairman, Andrew Ireland, said later that day that the contract offered to Franklin was a nine-year deal worth $10 million, and that Franklin's management first approached Sydney about the move shortly after the
2012 AFL Grand Final The 2012 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 September 2012. It was the 117th annual grand final of the Australian Football ...
, when Franklin played in a losing side against the Swans. The next day, Franklin said that he did not make his decision to move to Sydney "until the last minute". He also said, "I'm looking forward to getting up to Sydney. It's a great footy club and, as I said, I had to pack my bags up at Hawthorn and saying goodbye to the boys is something very tough, and upsetting, too". Franklin's manager at the time,
Liam Pickering Liam Michael Pickering (born 9 September 1968) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club and the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). His father, Michael Pi ...
, also revealed that the nine-year contract was so back-ended that he would be making less money with the Swans in 2014–15 than he was at Hawthorn in 2013. Franklin officially joined the Sydney Swans on 8 October 2013, a week after the move was first announced, after Hawthorn decided against matching the offer made to the restricted free agent. The next day, Franklin was unveiled by the Swans at the SCG. Later in October, Franklin travelled to Ireland with the Australian International Rules team for the
2013 International Rules Series The 2013 International Rules Series (officially the 2013 Irish Daily Mail International Rules Series) was the 17th International Rules Series contested between Gaelic footballers from Ireland and Australian footballers from Australia. Ireland en ...
. It was the first time that Franklin had represented Australia in international rules football, and he managed one over in the first match of the two-test series. Following the first match, he travelled back to Australia for the wedding of his former teammate Brent Guerra, and was unable to participate in the second match.


Sydney (2014–present)


2014: 200th game and third Coleman Medal

Prior to the 2014 season, his first as a Swan, Franklin opted to continue wearing the number 23 guernsey that he previously wore for Hawthorn. He made his debut for the Sydney Swans in the round 1 Sydney Derby against cross-town rivals Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium, and finished the game with one goal in a shock loss. After a slow start for both Franklin and the Swans, when they lost three of their first four matches, Franklin returned to form against Fremantle at the SCG, kicking four second-half goals in what would be the first of a club record-equalling twelve successive wins, during which he twice narrowly avoided suspension. In round 8 against Hawthorn at ANZ Stadium, Franklin kicked seven successive behinds in the first three quarters, before kicking two fourth-quarter goals to seal an upset victory in Franklin's first match against his former side. Franklin continued his outstanding form throughout the season (despite kicking waywardly in both matches against his former side in Hawthorn, registering 2.7 and 3.5) and went on to win his third Coleman Medal, kicking 67 goals in 19 matches during the home-and-away season. Franklin also played his 200th game during the season, kicking a season-high nine goals in round 19 against St Kilda at the SCG. Franklin was named in the
2014 All-Australian team The 2014 Virgin Australia All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2014 AFL season, 2014 season. It was announced on 16 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 play ...
, his fifth selection and third as full forward; he then went on to finish equal-second with
Gary Ablett, Jr. Gary Ablett Jr. (born 14 May 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). The eldest son of Australian Football Hall of Fame mem ...
in the 2014 Brownlow Medal count on a career-high 22 votes (the most votes ever polled by a Coleman Medallist), beating the tally of 20 votes he achieved in his other Coleman Medal-winning years of 2008 and 2011. Franklin was one of the Swans' best players throughout the finals series, and kicked four goals in the
2014 AFL Grand Final The 2014 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and the Hawthorn Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 27 September 2014. It was the 119th annual Grand Final of the Australian Football ...
loss to Hawthorn – his highest ever tally in a grand final.


2015: Injuries and mental illness

Franklin began the 2015 season with a solid three-goal performance against Essendon at ANZ Stadium, and continued this form throughout the season. A performance considered particularly impressive was his against Carlton at the SCG in round 9, when he kicked seven goals. He would finish the year with 47 goals from 17 games, missing four of the last seven games due to a back injury. It was the first time since 2006 that he had kicked less than 50 goals or played fewer than 18 games in a season. He then withdrew from playing in the finals series due to a mental illness.


2016: Return to form

After making a successful return to football during the pre-season, Franklin returned to his best form, playing in all 26 games across the home-and-away season and finals series. He began the season well, kicking at least four goals in seven of the first eight matches to lead the goalkicking for most of the year. In round 13, he became the thirteenth player in VFL/AFL history, and the first indigenous player, to kick 750 career goals, bringing up the milestone with his first of four goals in a 55-point win over Melbourne at the SCG. Franklin's best game of the season came in round 21 against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium, where he recorded an equal personal-best 28 disposals, nine marks and six goals in a 70-point win. He later recorded 17 kicks, eleven marks and seven goals in a 113-point demolition of Richmond at the SCG in round 23; in doing so, Franklin also brought up his 200th goal as a Swan. This took him to 74 goals at the end of the home-and-away season to finish second in the Coleman Medal, six goals behind West Coast Eagles forward and 2015 winner Josh Kennedy. Franklin was one of the Swans' best players during the finals series, despite only contributing seven goals across the four finals, and was among their best players in the
2016 AFL Grand Final The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between and the at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2016. It was the 121st annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League (formerly the Victorian Football ...
loss to the Western Bulldogs. Franklin was named in the
2016 All-Australian team The 2016 Virgin Australia All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2016 season. It was announced on 1 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is ...
, his sixth selection and his third as centre half-forward. By season's end, he was the twelfth-highest goalkicker in VFL/AFL history, having overtaken greats such as Wayne Carey, Peter Hudson,
Stephen Kernahan Stephen Scott Kernahan (born 1 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football ...
, Barry Hall and Kevin Bartlett during the home-and-away season.


2017: Climb to top ten highest goalkickers and fourth Coleman Medal

Franklin played his 250th game in round 3, kicking three behinds in a one-point loss to Collingwood at the SCG. Two weeks later, Franklin kicked his 800th career goal with the last of his three goals in the Swans' 42-point loss to Greater Western Sydney; this was Sydney's fifth of six-straight losses to start the season, which was their worst start to a season since 1993. The Swans' losing streak came to an end when Franklin kicked eight goals in a 54-point win against the Brisbane Lions in round 7. In round 10, for Indigenous Round, Franklin was among a number of players who wore the number 67 on their guernseys to commemorate the 1967 referendum which allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted with the general population in the census. Franklin kicked five goals in the six-point loss to Hawthorn, overtaking Bernie Quinlan to climb into the top ten highest goalkickers in VFL/AFL history. Franklin won the Brett Kirk Medal (along with
Callan Ward Callan Ward (born 10 April 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2008 to 2011. Ward receive ...
) as the best player afield in the Swans' Sydney Derby win in round 17, kicking four goals. In bringing up his 50th goal for the season, against St Kilda in round 18, Franklin brought up 50 goals in a season for the tenth time. He was the first player to achieve this feat since Matthew Lloyd in 2008, and one of only nine players in the history of the game to ever do so; the other eight players had all kicked over 900 goals in their careers. Franklin saved his best performance of the season – and arguably his best for the Swans – for the eve of finals, recording 25 disposals, ten marks and ten goals against Carlton at the SCG in round 23. This was only the second time in Franklin's career that he had kicked ten or more goals, and it took him to 69 goals for the home-and-away season. At the end of the previous round, Franklin had trailed Josh Kennedy, winner of the last two Coleman Medals, by five goals, but the dominant performance saw him eventually finish four goals ahead of Kennedy, sealing Franklin's fourth Coleman Medal; it also continued Franklin's trend of winning a Coleman Medal every three years. Franklin reasserted his decade-long dominance against Essendon in the elimination final, kicking four goals in a second-quarter burst despite suffering a corked thigh in the first quarter, but was quiet in the semi-final loss to Geelong, kicking three behinds. This marked the earliest exit from a finals series by a team that Franklin has played in (excluding 2015, when he missed the finals series) since 2010. Franklin was named in the
2017 All-Australian team The 2017 Virgin Australia All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2017 season. It was announced on 30 August as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is ho ...
, his seventh selection and his fourth at centre half-forward; it was also the first time that he had achieved consecutive All-Australian selections since 2012, when he had achieved the accolade three years consecutively. Franklin also polled an equal career-high 22 votes in the
2017 Brownlow Medal The 2017 Brownlow Medal was the 90th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Dustin Martin of the Richmond Football Club won the medal wi ...
count, equalling the record number of votes achieved by a Coleman Medallist that he polled in 2014.


2018: Injuries and All-Australian captaincy

Franklin opened the 2018 season with his largest opening-round haul of eight goals against West Coast in the first AFL match at Optus Stadium. After missing three weeks with a bruised heel sustained in the opening-round win, Franklin kicked three goals in his return match in round 9 against Fremantle at the SCG, including his 300th goal as a Swan, becoming only the second player after Tony Lockett to kick 300 goals for two clubs. In round 15, Franklin played his 100th game for Sydney, kicking four goals in the loss to Richmond at Etihad Stadium. Two weeks later, Franklin kicked his 900th career goal with the first of his three goals in the six-point win against North Melbourne at the same venue. After coach
John Longmire John Longmire (born 31 December 1970) is the current coach of the Sydney Swans. As a player, he represented the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1999. Early years Longmire was born in Corowa, ...
estimated following the round 19 loss to Essendon that Franklin had only completed twenty minutes' training for the season due to his heel injuries, Franklin played his best game since the opening round in the two-point win against Collingwood at the SCG the following week, kicking six goals. Franklin won his second Brett Kirk Medal as best afield in the Swans' Sydney Derby win in round 22, kicking five goals to overtake Leigh Matthews as the eighth-highest goalkicker in VFL/AFL history, before missing the final home-and-away match with a groin injury. Franklin was held goalless for only the second time that year in the elimination final loss to Greater Western Sydney as he dealt with a hip problem. His total of 57 goals for the year was his second-lowest in a season since 2006, however he still averaged the most goals per game during the home-and-away season. Franklin was named as captain in the
2018 All-Australian team The 2018 Virgin Australia All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2018 AFL season, 2018 season. It was announced on 29 August as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players ...
, which was also his fifth selection at centre half-forward, third in succession and record-equalling eighth overall; this was despite missing four games and hardly being able to train due to injury, which Franklin described as being "frustrating". He later had surgery on his late-season groin injury, keeping him out of training for the rest of the year.


2019: Injuries and 300th game

After a slow start to the 2019 season owing largely to an injury-interrupted pre-season, Franklin kicked four goals in round 5 against Richmond at Marvel Stadium, overtaking Matthew Lloyd to become the seventh-highest goalkicker in VFL/AFL history. He was a late withdrawal the following round due to a left hamstring strain and ended up missing four games with the injury, before being cleared to play in round 10. Franklin was quiet upon his return, kicking three goals from his first two games back, before returning to form in round 12, taking nine marks and kicking five goals against West Coast at the SCG. The following match, his 299th, after kicking four goals in the first two-and-a-half quarters against Hawthorn, Franklin re-injured his left hamstring in the third quarter. He ended up missing a further nine matches with the injury before being cleared to play his 300th game in the final home-and-away round of the season against St Kilda, which would also serve as the farewell match for retiring former co-captains Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack; he kicked four goals and took ten marks for the match to be among the best afield, as Sydney missed the finals for the first time with Franklin at the club. In the lead-up to his 300th game, Franklin said he was "very confident" he had plenty of good football left in him despite his injuries, and that he fully intended on seeing out the final three years of his nine-year contract with Sydney; he also said that he had his sights set on reaching the 350-game and 1000-goal milestones in that time, becoming the first player to achieve both. He later joined pre-season training early with the club's first- to fourth-year players, having lost weight in an effort to overcome his injury problems and return to full training ahead of 2020.


2020: Injury-wiped season

In January, Franklin underwent an arthroscope on his right knee after experiencing discomfort; the club estimated he would resume full training in ten weeks, placing him in doubt for Sydney's round 1 match against Adelaide. He went on to miss the opening round match before the 2020 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Franklin was on track to return upon the resumption of the season in June until he suffered a hamstring injury in late May. In August, Franklin was ruled out for the rest of the season after developing groin soreness during his rehabilitation.


2021: Return to playing

In January, Franklin was "probably only a week off stepping back into the (Swans') full program" before suffering calf tightness; by March, he had begun to gradually rejoin training, but his return date was still unclear. Franklin made his return in round 2 against the Adelaide Crows. He kicked 3 on the day in front of a crowd of 23,946 and helped the Swans defeat the Crows by 33 points. Franklin was rested for round 3 with John Longmire stating it was part of his training program. The next week Longmire stated Franklin would be in the side for the round 4 clash against Essendon if he got through training without any worries. Franklin kicked 3 goals against Essendon where the Swans won by 3 points. The next week the Swans faced GWS in which he kicked 5 goals in a losing effort where they lost by 2 points. Franklin picked up an injury to his knee and was out for the next 3–4 weeks.


2022: 1,000th career goal

After kicking one goal in round 1 of the 2022 season, Franklin kicked four goals in Sydney's win over Geelong in round 2, becoming the sixth player in VFL/AFL history to kick 1,000 career goals in the process. The Swans ultimately qualified for the
2022 AFL Grand Final The 2022 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between Geelong and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 September 2022. It was the 127th grand final of the Australian Football League (AFL), staged to ...
(also against Geelong), and in the week leading up to the Grand Final, Franklin announced that he had re-signed for one more year, extending his career into 2023. However, it was not meant to be for Franklin, who was restricted to 5 disposals that day.


Statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - ,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, , , , 38 , 20 , , 21 , , 13 , , 140 , , 73 , , 213 , , 75 , , 39 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 7.0 , , 3.7 , , 10.7 , , 3.8 , , 2.0 , , 1 , - ,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, , , , 23 , 14 , , 31 , , 9 , , 98 , , 58 , , 156 , , 52 , , 25 , , 2.2 , , 0.6 , , 7.0 , , 4.1 , , 11.1 , , 3.7 , , 1.8 , , 5 , - ,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, , , , 23 , 22 , , 73 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 62 , , 201 , , 92 , , 293 , , 123 , , 49 , , 3.3 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 2.8 , , 9.1 , , 4.2 , , 13.3 , , 5.6 , , 2.2 , , 5 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
# , , , , 23 , 25 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 113 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 88 , , 308 , , 75 , , 383 , , 158 , , 50 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 4.5 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 3.5 , , 12.3 , , 3.0 , , 15.3 , , 6.3 , , 2.0 , , 20 , - ,
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, , , , 23 , 21 , , 67 , , 46 , , 187 , , 129 , , 316 , , 109 , , 48 , , 3.2 , , 2.2 , , 8.9 , , 6.1 , , 15.0 , , 5.2 , , 2.3 , , 4 , - ,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, , , , 23 , 18 , , 64 , , 42 , , 205 , , 115 , , 320 , , 99 , , 68 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 3.6 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 2.3 , , 11.4 , , 6.4 , , 17.8 , , 5.5 , , 3.8 , , 10 , - ,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
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2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, , , , 23 , 19 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 69 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 64 , , 250 , , 100 , , 350 , , 111 , , 71 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 3.6 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 3.4 , , 13.2 , , 5.3 , , 18.4 , , 5.8 , , 3.7 , , 12 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
# , , , , 23 , 21 , , 60 , , 37 , , 214 , , 115 , , 329 , , 86 , , 52 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , 10.2 , , 5.5 , , 15.7 , , 4.1 , , 2.5 , , 5 , - ,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, , , , 23 , 22 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 79 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 51 , , 267 , , 100 , , 367 , , 139 , , 67 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 3.6 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 2.3 , , 12.1 , , 4.5 , , 16.7 , , 6.3 , , 3.0 , , 22 , - ,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
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2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
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2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
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2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
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2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, , , , 23 , 18 , , 51 , , 24 , , 157 , , 56 , , 213 , , 81 , , 46 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 8.7 , , 3.1 , , 11.8 , , 4.5 , , 2.6 , , 8 , - ,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, , , , 23 , 23 , , 52 , , 28 , , 206 , , 58 , , 264 , , 116 , , 46 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 9.0 , , 2.5 , , 11.5 , , 5.0 , , 2.0 , , 8 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 341 !! 1047 !! 729 !! 3649 !! 1473 !! 5122 !! 1857 !! 860 !! 3.1 !! 2.1 !! 10.7 !! 4.3 !! 15.0 !! 5.4 !! 2.5 !! 186


Personal life

Franklin has a variety of tattoos dedicated to his indigenous heritage. He has been open about his struggles with depression, partly in an effort to destigmatise the mental illness among Australian men, particularly in the AFL. Franklin married former Miss Universe Australia model and
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
presenter Jesinta Campbell on 4 November 2016. They have a daughter and son together.


Honours and achievements

Team * 2× AFL premiership player ():
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* 2× McClelland Trophy ():
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* 2× McClelland Trophy ():
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Individual * 8× All-Australian team:
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, 2018 (c) * 4× Coleman Medal: 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017 * Peter Crimmins Medal: 2008 * 6× Hawthorn leading goalkicker: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 * 7× Sydney leading goalkicker: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 * 3× Brett Kirk Medal: 2017 (game 2), 2018 (game 2), 2021 (game 1) * 2× Goodes–O'Loughlin Medal: 2017, 2022 * 2×
AFL Goal of the Year The Goal of the Year is a competition for the best goal kicked in the Australian Football League (AFL) during that season. It is run in conjunction with the Mark of the Year competition and is currently sponsored by Rebel Sport. The winner is ...
: 2010, 2013 * Australia representative honours in international rules football:
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
* Dream Team representative honours in AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match * Marn Grook Award: 2007 * AFL Rising Star nominee:
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Lance 1987 births Living people Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club Premiership players Sydney Swans players Box Hill Football Club players Perth Football Club players Coleman Medal winners Peter Crimmins Medal winners All-Australians (AFL) Australia international rules football team players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from Western Australia People from Dowerin, Western Australia People educated at Wesley College, Perth Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players