Lance Franklin’s nine-year mega-deal must deliver a premiership, writes Robert Craddock

PAYING $10 million for an AFL player and not expecting a premiership is like paying $1 million for a racehorse and not expecting a major race win.

Lance Franklin must win a premiership at the Swans. Picture: Colleen Petch.

PAYING $10 million for an AFL player and not expecting a premiership is like paying $1 million for a racehorse and not expecting a major race win.

The Sydney Swans cannot kid themselves, their fans or the wider world.

Lance “Buddy” Franklin’s nine-year, $10 million mega-deal must deliver a premiership, otherwise it has failed.

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Franklin has said in the Gand Final build-up he does not have to justify the big dollars with a title.

Coach John Longmire and chief executive Andrew Ireland strongly supported the stance for understandable reasons.

Lance Franklin has been a standout for the Swans. Picture: Getty Images

The last thing Franklin needs to read, three years into his deal, is a Grand Final week quote “it’s a Buddy title or bust’’. He is under enough pressure already.

Even Swans premiership captain Barry Hall accepts the rhetoric is removed from reality and a decade-long salary cap squeeze which will see more players like Shane Mumford forced out of the club can only be justified by at least one title win.

“Absolutely,’’ Hall, declared on Fox Sports’ Back Page this week.

“If they don’t win in the next couple of years we will see some things. There is talk that Tommy Mitchell is probably not getting enough money next year and maybe he will move.

“You don’t want to talk about that during grand final week but if the Swans don’t win a flag in the next couple of years, it is going to come back to bite them. They are not going to be able to afford the salary cap. It is starting to get tight. Good players are starting to leave.

“The window is starting to shut for the Swans. They need something to happen very quickly and if they don’t get a flag in the next couple of years they will be concerned.’’

Hard nut Mitchell, one of the Swans best players in the finals, has been linked to Hawthorn because of salary cap pressures and Sydney fans would be pained by his likely exit in the prime of his career.

The Swans will field six emerging players with less than 50 games of AFL experience on Saturday but their wage claims will grow with experience, so the salary pressure will remain extreme.

Lance Franklin celebrates with teammates after qualifying for the Grand Final.

The good news for Franklin is that he could be just a day away from getting a pass mark for his entire extended stay at the Swans, meaning the last six years would be the cream.

Premierships are so hard to win that one in his nine-year stay would be a pass mark.

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It can be argued that is not a notable improvement, given the Swans have won two of the past 11 titles and would have expected to win won one even if Franklin had not turned up.

The sobering facts that the Bulldogs and St Kilda have won one premiership each in their histories, that Melbourne have not won one since 1964 and Richmond since 1980 makes one title every decade a pass mark.