Kris Massie, Alipate Carlile and Scott Thompson talk about what it’s like being told you’re standing Lance Franklin and then trying to stop him when he is floating on air
What is it like to stand Buddy Franklin? As the Sydney superstar prepares for his 300th game this weekend, we spoke to three defenders about the toughest job in football and the day he put them to the sword.
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Kris Massie describes it as a “state” that Lance Franklin gets into during games when it’s as if he is running and his feet aren’t touching the ground.
When Franklin’s confidence is sky high and the ball is repeatedly coming in his direction, it is as if they are under his spell and even Superman would be powerless to stop him.
During Massie’s time at the Crows he used to be told early in the week that he’d be playing on ‘Buddy’ and would sit down with his defensive coach Peter Jonas to study his running patterns and try to find a weakness.
It was nice idea but a futile exercise really.
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“I would describe him as having no vulnerability and no weakness, so when he gets in that state or mindset or whatever you want to call it, do you beat him with leg speed? No,” Massie said.
“Do you beat him with height? No. Do you beat him with the ability to win the groundball? No. Do you beat him with strength? Good luck. Do you beat him with X-factor? No. Do you beat him with an ability to run off? Well not really because you risk being even more exposed.
“So I would describe him as one of those modern day prototypes where someone might describe the ideal player.
“When Buddy is in that mood, he has no area to exploit and find a weakness, that’s how I would describe him, even his ability to hunt the opposition he can lay a tackle and he’s just a competitive beast, and when his confidence is up those weapons are on hyper-drive.”
As Franklin prepares for his 300th game this weekend, Massie and former Port Adelaide full back Alipate Carlile have recounted their battles with the Sydney superstar who is regarded as one of the greatest to have ever played the game.
Port Adelaide’s Carlile estimates he would have played on Franklin 12 times in his career and says he wears that like a badge of honour.
“The first time I played on the same field as him was when Darryl Wakelin stood him at AAMI Stadium and we got flogged that day,” Carlile said.
“But the biggest bath he gave me was when he kicked eight on me at the G and we lost by 150 points (Round 21, 2011).
“It’s still up for debate as to whether I played on him all day, I was swapping with Jacko (Jackson Trengove) but Jacko tells me otherwise.
“To be honest it was an absolute blur that day because it was raining goals, I didn’t even realise he kicked eight until after the game and on the bus back to the airport Jacko and I were having a laugh trying to work out who they were on.
“I’d be in his top 10 highlights probably, but I’d be sharing that reel with a lot of established full backs so I’m not ashamed of it. He kicked one on me from the wing one day at the SCG.”
Carlile said he never bothered to engage with Franklin in any banter because he didn’t want to pour any fuel on the fire.
“His sister Bianca lived with my wife for a bit when they were playing netball so I had a connection with him through that,” Carlile said.
“But when he starts to get his confidence up he starts to get a bit vocal, and he was pretty sharp. I remember him getting stuck into the Cornes boys a few times and they gave it back so it was pretty funny banter.
“And he beat me up at AAMI Stadium one day. Paul Stewart started on Cyril Rioli and a melee broke out and he had me pinned for ages.
“Whenever I played on him I knew I’d have to have my skates on, athletically he’s very gifted, as talented a footballer as you would see, and mix those two together and he’s pretty tough to stop.
“All you can do is pray that up the field they’re doing their job and putting pressure on so some of the balls coming in are high.
“I just used to try to wrestle him and beat him up as much as possible because I knew I wasn’t winning a foot race.”
Massie’s early battles with Franklin were pretty respectable before the spearhead took him apart with seven goals including the matchwinner from the boundary line in the 2007 elimination final.
“It’s another life ago now but the first experience I had on him was at home on a drizzly night that wasn’t really made for forwards, I think he kicked one and our whole backline had a reasonable night,” Massie said.
“I think I lost sleep period, regardless of who I was playing on any week really. I was in and out of the side, I’d be on a five-foot lightning quick player then a six-foot big man the next week, so I was a gap-filler utility and regardless of who I was playing on I’d be looking at notes on my opponent’s leading patterns and strengths and weaknesses.
“In that final there was a fair amount of banter from his teammates, I remember (Chance) Bateman getting into me, my top was ripped and there was a lot of niggle.
“It was a very, very hard time. From a personal point of view, I was very hard on myself. I’d like to think I was extremely team-orientated and focused on playing my role. On that day, I genuinely felt within myself that I’d let my team down.
“At the time there was a fair amount of scrutiny as I imagined there would be. I bunkered down and it took me a little while. People don’t think about the emotional side of things, but that’s OK. It’s a job and it’s about performance. You just take it on the chin and work with it.”
“I still genuinely looked forward to those battles, from your Riewoldts to your Motlops, and I think all players somewhat love the challenge.”
Retiring North Melbourne defender Scott Thompson singled out Lance Franklin as among his toughest opponents.
The slightly undersized veteran at 193cm and 96kg veteran, who will play his last game for the Roos in Tasmania this weekend, said Franklin “could change a game in one minute”.
“I can remember playing on him and I thought I had a good game and he kicked three in the last five minutes and won them the game.
“I couldn’t do anything to stop him — I was in good position, they just have that ability, you can’t stop them, they win games.”
Thompson played on Franklin during his famous “THIRTEEEEEEN” goal effort in 2012.
“I had a little time on him, I think he might have kicked five on me,” he said.
“I was second in line — there was three of us that played on him that day so he was in some fine form.”
Fine form is an understatement — Franklin’s 13 was the most he ever kicked in a game and the Hawks won by 113 points.
Two years later, Thompson would have his revenge, keeping Franklin — now at Sydney — goalless in a 43-point win at the SCG.
According to Champion Data, the top five players who have spent the most time (in minutes) standing Franklin in his 299 games are Tom Lonergan (1222.5 minutes); Phil Davis (1056), Josh Gibson (940), James Frawley (858) and Alex Rance (823).
Lonergan was one who could say they broke even if not beat Franklin across his career, conceding 22 goals in 12 match-ups.
“I still remember the first time I played on him. I think it was early ‘09 he’d just come off the back of kicking 100 the year before,” Lonergan recalled last year.
“I’ve walked up to him and he started laughing and said: ‘What’s your name?’
“I laughed to myself a bit and I was like: ‘One thing’s for sure, you’ll know my name by the end of the day’.
“I had that inner resolve that I could beat him. I knew he had that bravado.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as Kris Massie, Alipate Carlile and Scott Thompson talk about what it’s like being told you’re standing Lance Franklin and then trying to stop him when he is floating on air
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