The clock is ticking on Sydney’s Lance Franklin mega deal, writes Sam Edmund

FOUR years, no premierships and five years to go. The clock is ticking on Sydney’s Lance Franklin mega deal. To date, has it been a pass or fail?

The clock is ticking on the Lance Franklin deal. Picture: Phil Hillyard

FOUR years, no premierships. Five to go.

The clock is ticking on Sydney’s Lance Franklin mega deal. The money is ticking too — straight into Buddy’s bank account at the expense of teammates.

In the wake of the Swans’ humiliating semi-final thrashing at the hands of Geelong, we have to revisit the elephant in the red and white room.

Has this nine-year, $10 million deal — still the biggest ever signed in the AFL — been worth it?

As of September 16, 2017, you’d say no. Not yet anyway.

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The Swans have repeatedly said Franklin does not have to justify the big bucks with a flag. They would say that for obvious reasons.

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

This deal must deliver a premiership or it has failed.

The consequences of the Buddy deal have hit and keep hitting. Shane Mumford was squeezed out, Tom Mitchell was squeezed out and while we acknowledge the repeated recruiting genius of this organisation, how many more are going to feel they deserve a bigger slice of pie in the future?

Swans premiership player Barry Hall said this a year ago: “If they don’t win in the next couple of years we will see some things ... 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.’’

Lance Franklin struggled on Friday night. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Franklin has churned out 79, 47, 81 and 73 goals in his first four years in the Harbour City and taken home two Coleman Medals and three All-Australian gongs. He played every game last year and every game in 2017.

He will go down as one of the all-time greats of this game.

But in the here and now he has 13 seasons under the belt. And while not a bash and crash forward, he has repeatedly been bashed into, most recently against Essendon last week.

That corkie appeared worse than most thought. When you’ve got a Sealy Posturepedic single mattress strapped to your thigh, you’re not exactly flying.

Franklin’s nemesis Tom Lonergan might have missed after chowing down a dodgy sausage roll, but Harry Taylor isn’t exactly a ring-in from the bush.

Buddy finished with 0.3 from 14 touches — only the third time he’s been held goalless this year in what was an ugly set of numbers by the final siren.

Oh and speaking of numbers, Franklin turns 31 in January.

Yep, the clock is ticking.