Lance Franklin passes Matthew Lloyd for seventh all-time on the AFL’s goal-kicking list
Lance Franklin’s prodigious attacking performances have helped him eclipse yet another legendary forward on the AFL’s all-time goal-kicking list. How many on the list will he pass when all is said and done?
Sydney
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When “Buddy” marks 30 metres out and tight on the boundary, you sit up a little taller in your seat.
The countdown clock shrinks and when the All-Australian skipper wheels onto the left and that thump rings out — no matter your allegiance — it remains a thing of beauty.
Against Richmond, it proved a thing of history, with the Swans forward propelled to sit outright seventh in the all-time goalkicking record books, surpassing Essendon great Matthew Lloyd’s 926 with 928.
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And at the Lockett end of Marvel Stadium, no less — the game’s greatest ever goalkicker — with now just over 70 until four figures.
Franklin will sit in seventh for a little while yet with former Tiger Jack Titus — who plied his trade between 1926 and 1943 — sixth with 970.
“You’d think he’d get Titus,” former Richmond forward Matthew Richardson said on Channel 7.
“Has he got (Doug) Wade (1057) and (Gary) Ablett senior (1031)? You’d probably think so. He could end up fourth all-time.
“I reckon he’ll be the last to kick 1000. It’s hard to imagine someone will get to 1000 again.”
On a night to forget for the Swans, Dustin Martin wreaked havoc and Franklin was frustrated.
There was a big bump for direct opponent Dylan Grimes on the wing — they simply couldn’t get it to him, and he didn’t like it.
While he has at times of late looked mortal, with talk this week of trade value, he is worth the price of entry.
A generational talent.
We’re still so lucky to have him. Let’s enjoy it.
MOST CAREER AFL GOALS
1. Tony Lockett (1360 goals for St Kilda and the Sydney Swans)
2. Gordon Coventry (1299 goals for Collingwood)
3. Jason Dunstall (1254 goals for Hawthorn)
4. Doug Wade (1057 goals for Geelong and North Melbourne)
5. Gary Ablett senior (1031 goals for Hawthorn and Geelong)
6. Jack Titus (970 goals for Richmond)
7. LANCE FRANKLIN (928 GOALS FOR HAWTHORN AND THE SYDNEY SWANS)
8. Matthew Lloyd (926 goals for Essendon)
LONGMIRE STAYS POSITIVE, DESPITE SWANS’ WOE
We’ve done it before, so we can do it again.
That is the message from John Longmire as Sydney desperately searches to turn its season around.
The Swans slumped to a 1-4 record on the back of a 22-point loss to Richmond at Marvel Stadium last night, their only victory so far coming against a winless Carlton.
Sydney overcame a 0-6 start to the season to play finals in 2017 and while Longmire admitted he was now working with a different, younger team, such history showed it was worth clinging on to hope that fortunes can be flipped.
“It’s a different team, there’s no question it’s a different team,” Longmire said.
“It doesn’t change our belief that we can turn it around, we’re just doing it with different people.
“We’ve been in similar situations and been able to get ourselves going but it’s not just a matter of talking about it, it’s a matter of actually getting out there and doing it. We also know that it’s not done through anything other than hard work and getting out there and working on your craft. We’ve been able to turn it around before, we need to turn it around again. That’s the challenge in front of us.”
Longmire said finding the right mix of experience and youth was the hardest part and the Swans may not have that quite right as it stands.
“We need to make sure we keep rejuvenating our team but also at the same time being competitive,” he said.
“You don’t always get that mix right. You try very hard to get it right and I think generally over the journey we’ve been able to get it right but there’s challenges in front of us to get that mix right.”
Originally published as Lance Franklin passes Matthew Lloyd for seventh all-time on the AFL’s goal-kicking list
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