Lance Franklin is football’s biggest contradiction but its made him one of the best

THERE is nothing conventional about Lance Franklin, writes Dermott Brereton. The Sydney superstar is the most exciting of contradictions.

THERE is nothing conventional about Lance Franklin.

He is a key forward in his 13th season. A time in the game, in that position, when most others’ bodies are severely failing them, yet it could be argued Buddy is at the peak of his powers.

He is a proven goalkicker with over 800 majors to his name, yet his set goalkicking action is horribly flawed.

He is 199cm and 106kg and in anybody’s language that is the size of a genuine ruckman playing as a key target, yet his speed and agility are equal to that of an agile small forward.

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He is a beast in contested one-on-one marking duels, though the amount of overhead marks he has taken in over 250 games by jumping off the ground and reaching the ball at the highest point would be four or five at best.

Given his size, he should be slightly uncoordinated with his kicking, or at the very least slow to get the ball from his hand to foot. But yet again he is one of the very best field kicks in the game.

It is interesting to note that not one commentator or analyst has enunciated the difference between his set shot kicking and his field kicking.

Lance Franklin kicks at goal against GWS Giants. Picture: Gregg Porteous

And that is that he alters the drop of the ball.

Most goalkicking coaches will tell you that the position of the ball when you grip it, is the way that the ball should strike your foot. Same angle, same tilt, the ball should drop smoothly and fluently without any alteration.

Yet Franklin when lining up applies a nice even grip, with his left (guiding) hand slightly lower on the ball than his right. And kicked slightly to the inside of the top of his foot, this gives the ball its natural drift from right to left while on its journey.

But Buddy does something that no other goal kicker has ever done. Not intentionally anyway.(sorry Levi). He rotates the ball to a different angle to that of which was his grip when lining up.

As his right hand comes away, he rotates the ball almost a quarter turn into a flatter position for it to strike his foot. This has him kick more towards the belly of the ball, rather than the end.

And yet again in direct contrast, in general field kicking there is no rotation. Just a fluent drop, a sweet foot strike and ultimately another kick finds its target.

He is such a massive kick, his potency extends well beyond the 50m arc. Since Round 1, 2016 Buddy Franklin has kicked 28 goals from outside 50. Taylor Walker is next best at 25 per cent fewer — 21,

Thereafter the list falls away into the teens. I can’t think that anyone that excites the crowds as much as Franklin does with the ball in his hands, not since Gary Ablett Sr was doing his thing.

Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin celebrate a win with the fans.

In Buddy’s career there have been four players that have always been consistently good against him. Two of them ended up as teammates, the other two are still opponents.

Brian Lake was far too good for Franklin in the air, but would concede the field to him by not chasing him out too far beyond the 50m arc.

Josh Gibson could get underneath Franklin’s armpit and unsettle him in the one-on-one contest. And on the lead Gibson could trail him around further up the field than Lake.

Tom Lonergan of Geelong also could trail him around (within reason) and Lonergan has an enormous reach, which he would employ against Lance in the spoil.

The Giants’ Phil Davis does the same, plays Buddy from behind. Davis too has a great reach, yet would fear only one position against Buddy. And that is trapped in front.

Buddy chests his opponent under the ball and takes two or three grabs to secure the mark, but eventually he simply outreaches every opponent in this situation.

In normal circumstances the forward’s body will give way to injury and rust before a backman’s will. But once again Buddy might do the unthinkable, he is incredibly durable.

He’s outlasted Lake, he is seemingly outlasting Lonergan and Gibson. And even though he is three years older than Davis and has played 150 more games, don’t write him off on that battle either.

Lance Franklin wrestles with a couple of Kangaroos.

It is extraordinary to think that Lance is a key forward with that size and has that many goals to his credit yet he has never in his 256-game career been third man up to fly over a pack and take an overhead pack mark.

Think Tom Lynch’s aerial capabilities and Franklin has never been able to do that, yet he is one of the greatest goalkicking key forwards of all time.

At times on Friday night his old mate Josh Gibson will play on Lance, they will chat and they will compete to the best of their ability.

Some rumours have suggested that since Lance went to Sydney, he has murmured about a jealousy he has of his old teammates and how they have four premierships to his two.

His Swans and his former team are evenly matched and both lowly placed on three wins and six losses. Whoever finishes this evening on four wins still has a glimmer of hope.

Hawthorn and its people still adore Buddy He was a complex character who required some nurturing in the early days, but he was an affable guy who became a star and they loved him for everything he brought to the game.

At the SCG, he may just might be the reason that Hawthorn’s season gets extinguished — and we’ll still love him.