Effects of Buddy Franklin injury could hit Sydney Swans for years

Sydney’s bombshell admission that Lance Franklin could miss more than half the season is a pain that threatens to linger for years to come.

Sydney Swans star Lance Franklin finds himself fighting an injury that threatens his season. Picture: Getty Images

Sydney’s bombshell admission that Lance Franklin could miss more than half the season is a pain that threatens to linger for years to come.

The Swans believe Franklin’s right hamstring tear is worse than the injury that kept him out for nine rounds last year, but former AFL greats and the superstar’s wife believe the 33-year-old’s biggest challenge will be a mental one.

The ball is firmly in Franklin’s court about whether he feels he can see out the final three years of his record nine-year contract. Not only because he’s an all-time great, but because the AFL indicated at the time he signed that Sydney would get no salary cap relief for the duration of the deal, even if he was to retire early.

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Sydney are unsure how long Franklin will be sidelined but he won’t be back running for at least a month and in a shortened season, there is now enormous pressure on the baby Swans to stay afloat until the star goalkicker comes back.

But the ripple effect of Franklin’s latest devastating injury could continue into 2021 and beyond.

The fact Franklin will go a full calendar year having played just one game of football could in turn cast doubt over the rationale behind Sydney’s pursuit of Essendon star Joe Daniher.

Daniher is injury-affected himself, having only played 11 games since 2017, and the Bombers are unable to say if and when Daniher will return this year.

If both players struggle to get on the park this year Sydney’s strategy of aiming for two key forwards could rest on suspect bodies.

Former AFL great and Fox Footy expert Brad Johnson has no doubt Franklin will get a lucky break with his run of injuries, but the question is whether the 33-year-old can mentally keep the fires burning when just playing one match is proving so taxing.

“Physically he’ll get right. He will turn the corner. Over the next six to 12 months he’ll know that anyway,” Johnson said.

“If he gets himself right, look out. Because he’s athletically unbelievable still. We all know that.

“But it’s probably mentally dealing with it. The ball is completely in his court in terms of how he’s feeling mentally and pushing through.”

Franklin’s wife Jesinta spoke to Channel 7 on Thursday and conceded that her husband’s biggest challenge would be getting his head around the latest setback.

“That is their job (as an athlete), their body is their job. When they hurt themselves or they injure themselves, it’s actually mentally extremely challenging,” she said.

The AFL was so enraged about the Swans stealing Franklin from the grip of GWS back in 2013, that indications from head office at the time were that the Swans would be forced to carry Franklin’s salary in their cap through every year of the record deal.

According to Fox Footy’s Dermott Brereton, the Swans have won on Franklin overall, but now have little choice but to cross their fingers and hope for the best.

“I think the Sydney Swans when they got him they knew they had to pay overs to get him. I think they’ve had a return on their investment,” Brereton said.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH