The night Steve Johnson tried to sledge Buddy Franklin — and why it’s a waste of time even trying

EARLIER this year a GWS veteran tried everything possible to put Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin off. Steve Johnson writes he couldn’t believe what happened next.

Lance Franklin and Steve Johnson tangle in last year’s finals. Picture: Getty Images

As I stood next to Buddy Franklin, I was doing everything possible to put him off his kick for goal.

It was the Round 17 clash between Sydney and Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium this year and the game was in the balance.

Buddy stopped, put the ball on the ground, followed with his trademark of putting his mouthguard in the sock, and stood tall, taking in a deep breath to soak up every bit of atmosphere at the ground.

He didn’t say a word, but his body language suggested he knew it was a big moment. He always does.

It seemed as if he was taking the responsibility square on his shoulders. Some people avoid it; others take energy from it, and he is certainly in the latter bracket.

Steve Johnson tries to ruffle Lance FRanklin’s feathers. Picture: Getty Images

I’ve tried to use a bit of banter on Buddy to put him off in the past. I’ve seen a wry smile in acknowledgment before, but on other occasions I’ve only realised he has been listening once he slams through the goal and comes looking for you to remonstrate with a big smile on his face.

On this particular night, against us in July, as he wound up to kick for goal, I thought to myself ‘It’s a cold night, I don’t think he’s a chance to kick this’.

I even told him so.

But as he ran in and made contact with the ball, I heard a massive thud you don’t hear too often and quickly tracked the ball through the air.

Starting left, I assumed it was going to miss — his natural ball flight is normally left to right, but then it has a late tail-back to the left.

But this ball did something I’ve never see a Sherrin do in the air over 60 metres in all my time in footy. It started left — way left, it seemed — appearing to be heading towards the point post. Then it started to turn and it just kept coming and coming. Somehow it went from being a certainty to miss to one of the most remarkable goals — almost in a heartbeat.

Lance Franklin’s big goal from 60m in Round 17.

Should I have been surprised that Buddy turned the seemingly impossible into the achievable? Probably not, given what he has done across his career, even if I was shocked by that moment.

It was one of four goals he kicked on the night, and we lost by 13 points.

There haven’t been many more watchable players than Buddy in the 150 or more years the game has been played. He hasn’t just captivated the avid AFL followers; he is one of the key reasons why football in Sydney is going from strength to strength.

He drags people to the game up there just to say they have seen him in action, much the same was as Winx does on the racetracks.

Sydney’s aggressive, expensive decision to recruit Buddy — as a 26-year-old at the end of the 2013 season — was a football decision but they also knew he would put bums on seats — which he has.

As good as he was across nine seasons at Hawthorn, I doubt the Swans would have predicted he would be in arguably career-best form four seasons on. He is 30, but his influence is as imposing as ever, and his impact on the team has helped them get back into the flag race after an 0-6 start.

Buddy celebrates his massive roost against GWS. Picture: AAP

Buddy loves the big moments, and on Friday night against the Cats, he gets back onto the MCG stage for a final again. I’ve got no doubt his motivation is fixed on getting the Swans back to the Big Dance after losses in 2014 and last year.

He has a very good finals record, having kicked at least one goal in 21 of his 22 appearances in September, or October.

If he can kick three majors against the Cats — his weekly career average — he will draw level with the great Leigh Matthews as fourth in the most finals goals tally.

That’s rare air.

His overall haul of 860 goals has him sitting 10th on the all-time list of leading goal kickers. If he can stick to his average for the next 50 games, he will become only the sixth player in history to reach 1000 goals, joining Tony Lockett, Gordon Coventry, Jason Dunstall, Doug Wade and Gary Ablett Sr.

Friday night will also mark the last time Buddy will line up on old-time sparring partner Tom Lonergan. These two have had some great duels over the years and Tom is one of the very few defenders who has held his own on a consistent basis with Franklin.

Lance Franklin seems to be in career-best form. Picture: AAP

As much as he loves the big moments, Buddy doesn’t come across as a person who pays too much attention to the media or what’s been said about him. But my money is on him knowing exactly what the commentary has been around his final duel with Tom.

Future bragging rights are the line.

Buddy dominated against the Bombers last week. If he keeps that influence through the rest of the finals, the argument will be well and truly alive as to how this year compares with his 113-goal season in 2008.

In my view, he is an even more valuable player now than he was back then, and that’s saying something. It’s not always about goals (he has 73 this year) — it is about influence.

This year he finished the home-and-away season as the AFL’s highest score involvement player — eight ahead of Brownlow Medal favourite Dustin Martin and 34 ahead of the next best in Tex Walker. That is some sort of influence.

It’s fair to say Sydney’s huge investment in Buddy — which was questioned by some at the time because of the nine-year contract — has been justified both on and off the field.

A premiership — this year or later on — will only add to that.