Sydney superstar Lance Franklin is like another coach on the field, young gun Nick Blakey says
Lance Franklin is not yet back in full training following groin surgery but the superstar Swan is making his presence felt by teaching his younger teammates everything he knows.
Sydney
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Lance Franklin’s willingness to help others achieve their goals — pun intended — has been hailed by his new ‘next door neighbour’ at the Sydney Swans.
As he works his way back towards full fitness after groin surgery, the 31-year-old is making a big impression on young forward Nick Blakey.
Blakey is relishing the opportunity to learn from Franklin each day and points to the experienced forward’s recent mentoring success stories as a reason to take on board the advice and pointers being offered.
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And there’s no need to seek Franklin out either, he’s literally right there for Blakey.
“I’m number 22 and Bud’s number 23 so we sit next to each other in the locker room,” Blakey told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s (Franklin) not full training at the moment but he’s just like another coach out there. He’s always helping out the younger boys, telling them what kicks to do, what leading patterns to have, why you marked it there and so on. He’s always watching.
“He’s a lover of football and loves seeing the younger kids really develop. He took Oli Florent and Will Hayward under his wing and they’re superstars now.”
Blakey is itching to taste senior AFL action with Franklin.
“It’s down to what the coaches think but I don’t think there’s a reason why we can’t both be on the same field together,” he said. “We’re both left-footers but pretty different players.”
Franklin continues to put in the hard yards after off-season groin surgery but is not expected to feature in the club’s JLT Community Series matches against the GWS Giants (Saturday March 2) and Gold Coast Suns in Lismore on March 10.
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The same goes for fellow forward Daniel Menzel who also underwent groin surgery in early December. The decision was taken to follow the surgical route in a bid to try and minimise the chance of the problem flaring up during the season.
But the first chance for fans to see their heroes in action ahead of the new campaign will be on Friday 22 February for the annual intra-club match at Henson Park in Marrickville.
Originally published as Sydney superstar Lance Franklin is like another coach on the field, young gun Nick Blakey says
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