Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin makes surprise NT appearance ahead of Sir Doug Nicholls round
Read why all-time great Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin would “absolutely” support the NT’s bid to claim the 20th license.
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AFL legend Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin has thrown his support behind the NT becoming the 20th AFL team on a visit to Darwin.
Franklin spoke at a Sir Doug Nichols Round launch event in Darwin where he spoke of his admiration for the Territory and the skilled players that so often come from the region.
The NT’s push for the 20th licence amped up last week when the taskforce announced their business case had been completed estimating a seven to 10 year time frame for the team.
“I absolutely would support it. There’s been so much talent and legends to have come out of the NT,” he said.
“It would be great for them to get the 20th licence up here, there’s so much talent up here and to have another club here would be incredible.”
Franklin’s visit came ahead of the Gold Coast Suns match against Geelong at TIO Stadium, which kicks off the 2024 Indigenous round.
The match will feature four Territory born players, Lloyd Johnston, Joel Jeffrey and Ben Long from the Suns as well as Brandan Parfitt from Geelong.
The two-time premiership player also paid a surprise visit to Anula Primary School where he ran Auskick training with schoolchildren, and gave his boots away to one adoring fan.
It was an eye-opening experience for the man who kicked 1066 AFL goals, who said it was something he wanted to do more of now he was in retirement.
“I never had that opportunity as a kid, I grew up in the bush in Western Australia, and I never had the opportunity of seeing role models or AFL players come to my community,” he said.
“And for me to get that opportunity to go to the community, to show my face and just see the smile on these kids’ faces was huge and so rewarding.
“I got a lot out of it and those kids did too, I signed my pair of boots and gave them to one of the kids and the look on his face after I did that was something I’ll never forget.”
Buddy in the NT: AFL great makes surprise Territory visit
AFL legend Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin made a surprise visit to the Top End to run some Auskick trials with Territory schoolkids ahead of the Sir Doug Nichols Round.
The Gold Coast Suns will play the Geelong Cats at TIO Stadium as the opener to the round, and the two-time Coleman medal winner was on hand for the occasion.
The Sydney and Hawthorn leading goal scorer has long been an advocate for Indigenous participation in the sport he became an icon of.
Children at Anula Primary School, and a group of kids from Borroloola, were overjoyed to see one of their AFL heroes – and got even more excited when he ran through drills with them.
“It’s been an incredible day to see the smiles on their young faces,” the two-time premiership player said.
“I’ve had the opportunity to come up to Darwin a fair bit through my footy career, last year we went to Maningrida, which was an incredible experience.
“You just see so much talent here, it’s crazy, some of the kids marking and kicking for their age is just incredible and to see their smiles when I rocked up was very special for me.”
He called the Sir Doug Nicholls Round a very special time in the AFL season and one he always did his best to perform in.
“It’s a special round for the Aboriginal boys and the non-Indigenous, the AFL does an incredible job at showcasing what we Indigenous boys can do,” he said.
“It’s a round I always loved, representing our people and it’s a round you always want to play well in.”
AFL Executive General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy Tanya Hosch said it was great to have an iconic footballer such as Buddy up in the Top End.
“Across the next fortnight the AFL industry will celebrate the Sir Doug Nichols Round theme, which speaks to the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” she said.
“Our game would not be what it is without the contributions of Aboriginal people, one of those contributors is Buddy Franklin, whose contributions and 1066 goals are well documented.
“We’re so thankful for our leaders like Buddy to give up his time to be here, he changed our game for the better on and off the field and we’re thrilled to see the excitement on the children’s faces.”
AFLNT general manager Sam Gibson said it was great to have a player of Buddy’s calibre come to the Territory, and it gave more opportunity for Territory juniors to see what they aspire to be.
“Buddy’s football resume goes without saying and watching him interact with these kids is great to see,” Gibson said.
“I’m a big believer in if you can see it, you can be it and having Buddy and the Gold Coast Suns up here is a big part of that, and it’s great to see so many young Territorians have these opportunities.”
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