Lance Franklin opens up on podcasting, life after footy and the Swans’ 2025 season
He rarely spoke to the media when he played, now Lance Franklin is opening up about life after footy. From podcasting to training with NRL legend Johnathan Thurston, Buddy’s post-footy journey has been anything but quiet.
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Two years ago this month, Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin played his final game in the AFL.
A calf injury during the Swans-Essendon clash at Marvel Stadium in 2023 saw him come from the ground, with a Sydney press release a few days later confirming he would not be pulling on the boots again.
After 354 games and 1066 goals, the future Legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame sailed off into the retirement sunset, ready to start his next chapter.
He has since embraced life on the Gold Coast hinterland with wife Jesinta and their two children, Tullulah and Rocky, with a third on the way early next year.
However, 2025 has quickly become a year of stepping outside of comfort zones for Franklin. And across new ventures from dipping his toe into the podcasting world, as well as attempting the “most difficult” challenge of his life, the former Sydney and Hawthorn superstar has plenty to look forward to.
BEHIND THE MIC
By Franklin’s own admission, the media wasn’t something he really had an interest in throughout his footy career.
However, after a couple of years at home and watching most games every weekend on the iPad as he looked after his kids, he realised that he had rediscovered that feeling of being a fan of the game.
“The wife probably doesn’t want me to watch as much footy as I do, but I love watching the game,” Franklin said while appearing as an ambassador for the AFL’s Superkick program. “I love watching the Swans, I love watching Hawthorn go about their footy.”
And considering Franklin has kicked the fourth-most goals in VFL/AFL history, there are a lot of people who would be interested in what he has to say.
That’s when his former Hawthorn teammate Shane Crawford stepped in with the idea of doing a podcast together. With Crawford living on the Northern NSW coast, the pair decided that a weekly catch-up to chat through the round of footy would be of interest. The fact that it was filmed and recorded was a bonus.
“I think with media, that’s not something I’ve been huge on throughout my career,” Franklin said. “But I think doing the podcast with Crawf, it’s been amazing.
“He’s been a part of the media for a long time, so he knows how it all works. I’m enjoying it, it’s been putting myself out there a little bit, which again, is something that I’m not huge on, but it’s been really good. I’m talking about stuff that I love.”
“I definitely didn’t want to convince him,” Crawford added. “I said to him, ‘You do it because you want to do it’.
“I have no doubt if he put himself on the open market and said I’m up for being a part of any shows, I think all of them would jump at the opportunity. The AFL as well.
“But this is something that he can control, he can help grow, but on top of that, he can do it the way he wants to do it.”
Some of Franklin’s comments on The Buddy & Shane Show have already caused a bit of a stir, including his suggestion that Carlton should move on from Michael Voss as soon as possible because his messaging is no longer getting through.
However, at its heart, both Franklin and Crawford are hopeful the venture can stand out from the myriad of other footy shows with its integrity.
“I’ve been in the footy world for 19 years, that was my career,” Franklin said. “I’m mindful that people have families, and I’m mindful of coaches and players and being respectful of that too.
“It’s not something I want to continue to do where I call out people and that’s not what the podcast is about. We want to pump up players, look after coaches and talk footy because that’s what we love.
“Trust for me is a big thing, and I think with Crawf, I trust him. I feel comfortable with him, and we can just talk footy. It’s not about me. It’s about talking footy. I think that’s what people love, and I’m really enjoying it.”
“Sometimes you’ve got to call it as you see it, but we’re always doing it with a sensitive and supportive ear,” Crawford added. “We don’t really want to be the shock jocks.
“If you’re putting a podcast together and trying to maximise it, we’ve done the opposite. We didn’t want to be controversial. We wanted to be supper supportive.”
THE MARATHON MAN
While Franklin’s body let him down during the final season of his career through injuries, the 38-year-old has hardly been fitter than two years after his retirement.
And it’s on the back of six months of intense training, along with NRL legend Johnathan Thurston, as part of the Indigenous Marathon Foundation’s 12-person squad.
Running marathons was never in his initial plan post-footy, but after completing one on the Gold Coast last weekend, he’s taken the first big steps on his journey to run the New York Marathon later this year.
It has also doubled as a way for him to satisfy his competitive edge that he has missed ever since hanging up the boots.
“There’s no doubt (I miss the game), I’m a natural competitor,” Franklin said. “I’ve had that from the age of five, six years of age. There’s moments where you wish you could still be out there.
“When you play football for nearly 19 years at a professional level, and then retiring, it gives me a bit more structure and a goal to work towards, which is important. I’m training every day, and there’s no better feeling than finishing a run.
“I think anyone that ever does a marathon, it challenges you. There’s so much that goes into it. You can’t just rock up and just do a marathon.
“The body is feeling as good as it’s ever felt, to be honest. When you do finish up, it’s all about moving and keeping active, and that’s what my body loves.
“I’m under no illusions that this is going to be probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But I’m really looking forward to it. We’ve got Sunshine Coast in four weeks, and then we go to Alice Springs, we do a 30km run, and then New York. So, it’s going to be incredible.”
BIG THINGS ON THE WAY
Getting to be a stay-at-home dad after nearly two decades of being a professional athlete is everything Franklin could have asked for.
But after a couple of years, it’s clear he’s also relishing the opportunity to try new things. In the past 12 months, footage of him both cooking and beekeeping has surfaced, but when asked about what’s next, a wry grin comes across his face.
“There’s a few things on the horizon, which is really good,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting.”
“That first six to seven months after retirement is a bit challenging … it takes a bit of a while, but having my two kids there, we’ve got our third one on the way, I feel blessed to spend those moments with them. They’re moments if I was still playing, I wouldn’t be able to get, especially when they’re so young. I’m absolutely loving it.”
Franklin remains tight-lipped on what exactly his future holds. But with his dalliance into the media world and new-found love of distance running, it’s clear nothing is off the table.
And according to his new podcast co-host, there could even be a path back into the footy world.
“Deep down, I think he should stay involved in a footy club and I keep telling him he should go,” Crawford said. “He’d be wonderful, especially as a forward line mentor, and also the Gold Coast Suns are just down the road.
“But he’s been in that environment for such a long time and he wants to take a few years to breathe and go at his own pace. I get that, but I hope one day he’ll definitely be involved in the game.
“Life is what you make it, and he’s doing things he really wants to do. You’ve got a lot of life to live, and he was amazing for the AFL.
“But it is so important we keep the real superstars, not just Buddy, involved in the game. He’s putting himself out there by doing the podcast, and he might want to keep dipping his toe in the water. Who knows where that might go down the track, but it’s just great for everyone.”
STILL BELIEVING IN THE SWANS
Franklin believes the Swans’ current attacking structure is good enough to get back to a grand final and potentially win a premiership in the years to come.
Sydney’s three key talls – Joel Amartey, Hayden McLean and Logan McDonald – were instrumental in a Swans side that had the number-one attack in the competition in 2024 on the way to the minor premiership.
However, they were exposed in the grand final against Brisbane, and due to a plethora of injuries this season, have yet to play a game as a trio in 2025.
It has led to reports that the Swans could be linked with a move for another marquee key forward, such as Jamarra Ugle-Hagan or the recently retired Joe Daniher.
Franklin believes that although it has not gone to plan for the Swans this season, the personnel at their disposal are still good enough to challenge for a flag.
“They got to a grand final, we got to a grand final last year,” Franklin said.
“I think if Joel can keep fit, that’s been the issue at the moment. He hasn’t been able to continually get on the park. But I think when he’s at his best and he plays week in, week out, and he kicked nearly 40 goals last year.
“If he can stay out on the field, there’s a 50 to 60-goal season hopefully for him. I think with Sydney, it’s about keeping a healthy list. If they can keep a healthy list, they’ll be back up there.”
Originally published as Lance Franklin opens up on podcasting, life after footy and the Swans’ 2025 season
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