Advertisement

Franklin is ‘unbelievable theatre’: Lethal

AFL legend Leigh Matthews says the hype around ex-Hawk Lance Franklin leading into Saturday’s grand final is fantastic theatre.

As the man voted the best player of the 20th century, a four-time premiership hero with Hawthorn and four-time flag-winning coach with Collingwood and Brisbane, Matthews knows more than anyone about the reality of life as a footballing megastar.

Which is the status now enjoyed by Franklin, whose remarkable first season with Sydney will culminate with a grand final showdown against his former team.

The big left-footer has already won the 2014 Coleman Medal for the league’s leading goalkicker and finished joint runner-up in the Brownlow Medal.

Further honours are within Franklin’s grasp on Saturday including a possible Norm Smith Medal for best-afield and a third premiership medallion.

“It’s fantastic theatre, the fact that Franklin was part of the Hawthorn premiership last year, he swapped clubs and he happens to playing against Hawthorn in this year’s premiership (decider),” Matthews said on Wednesday.

“So it’s unbelievable theatre. I can never remember a time when the interest in one individual because of that scenario has ever been more than the spotlight which has been on Franklin.”

Not since 1925 has anyone won successive VFL/AFL grand finals with different clubs.

While Franklin has kicked 75 goals for Sydney including five in last week’s preliminary-final win over North Melbourne, his record of 5.12 in two games against the Hawks may give his former club some hope according to Matthews.

“As we know, very rarely does he not have half a dozen shots at goal,” Matthews said.

“So from a Hawthorn point of view you’ve got to hope he kicks 1.5, because he does that every now and then as well.

“In the last couple of games against Hawthorn he has missed a bit.”

Matthews said it was difficult to guess on whether Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson would recall 2012 All-Australian Cyril Rioli after just one game in the VFL following a hamstring injury which the small forward suffered in June.

“You can’t put yourself in Clarko’s shoes, partly because he’s so small,” Matthews joked.

“We might not know until an hour-and-a-half before the game.”

Matthews said he would want to be convinced that Rioli’s risk of injury was no more than any other player, and gauge his level of match fitness.

Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold declined to give advice to Hawthorn’s fans on how they should greet their former hero Franklin.

“I don’t advise the Hawthorn fans like that. They should just enjoy the game,” Newbold told reporters.

“If it means he gets booed, that’s nothing I can control.

“Knowing Buddy as I do, we don’t want to fire him up so I think we just leave him alone.”

Newbold said assistant coach Brendon Bolton, who guided the side to a five-nil record from rounds 11 to 15 when Clarkson was battling illness, deserved to have a hand on the premiership cup if the Hawks win on Saturday.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.