Lance Franklin justifies $10 million move as Sydney progresses to grand final
ONLY one thing was going to justify Sydney’s make-or-break Buddy bid. And on Friday night, the Swans went some way to making it a success.
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ONLY one thing was going to justify Sydney’s make-or-break bid for Lance Franklin.
When the Swans put $10 million into the recruiting move that rocked football in 2013, anything less than a couple of premiership cups was always going to be seen as a blatant failure.
And when the superstar forward missed last year’s finals series due to a mental health issue, we all wondered whether the blockbuster deal was paying off.
AS IT HAPPENED: RELIVE SYDNEY’S INCREDIBLE WIN
WHAT THE? WHAT WAS ANDRE AGASSI DOING AT THE FOOTY?
But not on Friday night.
Friday night was something else.
The Franklin-inspired Swans crushed Geelong with such force early that their 37-point preliminary final was effectively over with the Swans blazing ahead by 39 points at quarter time.
Two weeks after the Swans were beaten by stablemate Greater Western Sydney in the qualifying final, John Longmire’s men produced their best performance of the season to ensure they will surely start favourite in Saturday’s Grand Final against either the Giants again, or Western Bulldogs at the MCG.
And when Franklin laced out two teammates for scoring shots within the first 20 minutes, gave a ‘gimme goal’ to Kurt Tippett in the goalsquare after brushing off Tom Lonergan, and then lobbed his second major from the boundary line nearing half time, it was clear the brilliant showman had one thing on his mind.
And that was paying back Sydney with some silverware.
Not only for taking the plunge on the ex-Hawk in the first place three years ago, but also standing so closely by Franklin’s side through last year’s troubles.
This is the storyline will loom large over Grand Final week.
And so too, will the Cats’ failures.
Somehow, Geelong had 32 more inside 50m entries than Sydney but their ball use was ordinary if not awful and in contrast to Sydney’s low-flying darts to open targets.
Geelong had looked like the team to beat for most of the season but their wild form fluctuations that had resulted in losses to Carlton and Collingwood this year returned to haunt them on the biggest stage of the season.
For all the talk about the Swans’ focus on Franklin, the only one-man band out there early was Cat Patrick Dangerfield.
The Brownlow Medal favourite again gave all of himself, but had not enough support during the Swans seven-goal first-quarter blitz, just as he warned against mid-season.
Captain Joel Selwood lifted from a four-possession first term to help give the Cats’ some much-needed onball drive in the second and third terms, with Harry Taylor kicking two goals before the last change to cut the margin to 36 points at three quarter time.
But they were running out of time and Lachie Henderson was already hobbled for the night on a sore knee after managing only two possessions in his comeback from injury, recast in a forward role.
When Geelong’s big moment came early in the third term and Steve Motlop turned on the afterburners to race inside 50m for an open shot on goal, guess who made the desperate lunging tackle to snuff out the foray?
‘Buddy’.
This was a shocking night for Motlop and it is a discussion will continue into the trade period.
Franklin was fed by a midfield brigade that Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall said had produced “the most impressive and rabid attack on the ball and the man we have seen all season” on Triple M.
That’s the beauty about the guts of this Sydney side, their even spread of ball-winners were as hard-nosed, committed and disciplined as you would wish to see.
And on the outside, they linked up beautifully, with goal-poachers Gary Rohan, Tim Papley, Luke Parker, Kieran Jack, Ben McGlynn making the most of their gilt-edged opportunities in attack.
At quarter-time, the Swans had 20 more uncontested possessions the Cats.
They are the opposite of the ‘Ugly Duckling’ moniker that accompanied their 2005 flag win.
The Swans backline made the Cats’ forward half look impotent early. Aliir Aliir made an impressive start before he suffered a knee injury that will put him in doubt for next week’s decider, while Nick Smith, Dane Rampe and Heath Grundy kept Geelong two only two goals from 27 inside 50m entries at the main change. They intercept, magnificently.
And it was suffocating stuff.
Sydney hard nut Tom Mitchell must take a bow, too.
The gun onballer who seems on his way to Hawthorn in next month’s trade period led the midfield masterclass, somehow finding his way through a pack of four Geelong players to set up Sydney’s third goal of the night with a magical handpass to Parker.
The Cats were shell-shocked and pressured into mistakes at every step. Even with a late charge, they did not deserve to come anywhere near winning this one.
Rather, the ‘Bloods’ are back.
SYDNEY 15.7 (97)
GEELONG 8.12 (60)
GOALS
Sydney: T Papley 3 G Rohan 2 K Tippett 2 L Franklin 2 L Parker 2 B McGlynn I Heeney S Naismith X Richards.
Geelong: H Taylor 2 J Bartel J Caddy J Selwood P Dangerfield R Stanley T Hawkins.
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Matt Stevic, Scott Jeffery.
Official Crowd: 71,772 at MCG.
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