Lance Franklin
| Lance Franklin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Lance Franklin, Jr | ||
| Original team(s) | Perth Football Club | ||
| Draft |
5th overall, 2004 Hawthorn | ||
| Height / weight | 196cm / 101kg | ||
| Position(s) | Full Forward/Centre Half Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Hawthorn | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr (born 30 January 1987) is an Indigenous Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL). Franklin has played for the Hawthorn Football Club since his AFL debut in 2005.
Early life
Lance Franklin was born in Perth to parents Ursula and Lance snr. [2] Sport runs through the family: Lance snr represented his state in Hockey[3]; and older sister Bianca is a notable netballer, she plays in the ANZ Championship for the West Coast Fever and his cousin Jeff Garlett plays for Carlton.[4].
Franklin moved at an early age to Dowerin, Western Australia, attending Dowerin District High School from years one to ten and later attended school at Wesley College.[1] He played one senior game for the Perth Demons in 2004[5] and represented WA at the national under 18s carnival.
After attending Draft Camp and showing promise Hawthorn selected him with their second pick, number five overall, in the 2004 AFL Draft.
AFL career
2005
Debuting in Round 1 of the 2005 season, Franklin had a strong presence up forward and played 20 out of 22 games, contributing 21 goals.
2006
After injuring an ankle and a hand early in the 2006 season, he returned through the Victorian Football League for his first AFL game of the season in Round 9 against Sydney. In Round 12, Buddy produced a 6 goal haul against Richmond.
On the 13 July 2006 "Buddy" signed a new two year deal with Hawthorn, after being linked with clubs such as Essendon, West Coast and Fremantle. Another bag of 6 late in the season prompted predictions of Franklin to be the next big name forward in the AFL.[1]
2007
Franklin had a great season in 2007, finishing the home and away season with 63 goals, putting him 3rd in the Coleman medal tally behind runner up Matthew Pavlich of Fremantle and the season's Coleman medalist Jonathan Brown of Brisbane.
Franklin's tally included 9 goals in Hawthorn's win against Essendon in round 6. However, in Round 21 against the Western Bulldogs, Lance kicked a record 11 behinds with his 2 goals. Only Jack Titus and St Kilda's Dave McNamara have kicked more behinds in a game without managing more than 2 goals. However, despite Franklin's inaccuracy, Hawthorn still won the match.
In the 1st elimination final of 2007, the Hawks mounted a big comeback in the second half against Adelaide. Big "Buddy" was instrumental in the win, kicking 7 goals on his finals debut including the winning goal, from outside 50 metres with just 7 seconds left on the clock. Hawthorn were eliminated out of the Finals the following week by North Melbourne.
2008
2008 saw Franklin establish himself as one of the elite players in the competition, and was the recipient of the Coleman Medal with 102 goals in the home-and-away season. His season-high of 9 goals came against Essendon in round 11.
Franklin kicked his 100th goal for the home-and-away season against Carlton in round 22, becoming the first to kick 100 goals in the AFL home-and-away season since Tony Lockett in 1998, and the first Hawthorn player since Jason Dunstall in 1996, to reach 100 goals in a season. Upon him reaching the milestone, several thousand supporters stormed the field and formed a massive huddle around Franklin, who was shortly ushered off the field into the change rooms until the ground had cleared. Prior to the match, the AFL had warned of a $6000 fine for every individual who jumped the fence; evidently this was not a concern for the thousands who did just that.[6] He also was the first aboriginal player to achieve this[7]. He then added to that by kicking another eight goals in the qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs, tying with Dermott Brereton for the most goals kicked by a Hawthorn player in a finals match. Hawthorn went on to win the Grand Final and the Premiership, and while Franklin did not play a large part in the Grand Final, he received the Peter Crimmins Medal (Hawthorn's best and fairest) a week later for his consistent and high-level season.[8]
2009
Franklin missed the 2009 NAB Cup after undergoing surgery on his thumb and his shoulder following Hawthorn's premiership.[9] On his return to senior football his form was not matched his 2008 performances.[10]
Statistics
- Statistics are correct as end of Round 11, Season 2009 (June 7, 2009)
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Goals | Behinds | Kicks | Marks | Handballs | Disposals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hawthorn | 38 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 140 | 75 | 73 | 213 |
| 2006 | Hawthorn | 23 | 14 | 31 | 9 | 98 | 53 | 58 | 156 |
| 2007 | Hawthorn | 23 | 22 | 73 | 62 | 201 | 123 | 92 | 293 |
| 2008 | Hawthorn | 23 | 25 | 113 | 88 | 281 | 145 | 67 | 348 |
| 2009 | Hawthorn | 23 | 9 | 31 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 13 |
| Totals | 92 | 275 | 174 | 732 | 404 | 291 | 1023 | ||
References
- ^ a b c Sheehan, Mike; Hawks know Lance Franklin is a prized possession; Herald Sun; 2008-02-06
- ^ http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/kickett-brings-family-tradition-to-family-club/2007/05/01/1177788141562.html
- ^ Geoff McClure; "Why Hawks are sold on Franklin". The Age. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ Murphy, Catherine; "Women are all around Buddy". AFL website. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ WAFL online
- ^ Lance 'Buddy' Franklin boots 100 goals at Telstra Dome
- ^ Franklin is the shape of things to come
- ^ Franklin wins Peter Crimmins Medal
- ^ [1]
- ^ Stubbs, Brett (12 June 2009) [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25624149-19742,00.html Struggling Hawthorn star Lance Franklin confident he's back to his best]; Herald Sun
External links
- Lance Franklin's profile on the official website of the Hawthorn Football Club
- Lance Franklin's playing statistics from AFL Tables.