AFL icon Leigh Matthews has made the “sacrilegious” call that the Swans are better off without Lance Franklin.
Matthews’ comment comes as an explosive claim was made by football journalist Tom Morris that the Swans “had had enough” of Franklin in his final season.
The Swans have made a perfect start to the season with wins over Melbourne and Collingwood and appear a legitimate premiership threat.
Matthews said on Sunday night the Swans have been a better team following Franklin’s mid-season retirement last year.
The 37-year-old will go down as footballing marvel and a legend of the Sydney and Hawthorn football clubs, but his final years in the Harbour City were not up to his mercurial standards.
Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Matthews made the call after watching the Swans kick 15 goals in a 33-point win over the Magpies on Friday night.
He said the recruitment of Brodie Grundy was also a big factor in the Swans improving from 2023.
“I think it’s almost sacrilegious to declare that the Swans are better without Buddy Franklin,” Matthews said on Channel 9’s Footy Furnace.
“You are talking the veteran Buddy Franklin, the 36-year-old, but him retiring and going out of the Swans team means they have a big chunk of salary cap money, which enabled them to get Brodie Grundy.
“So I reckon minus Buddy, plus Grundy, is making the Swans a better team.
“They have stayed up around the mark for most of this century, the Swans. Their list management has been outstanding. I think the Grundy thing just sort of happened, but the fact that Buddy’s career had come to the end and they had the money to pay Brodie Grundy, who is not a superstar ruckman, but he is a really competitive one who helps at ground level.
“He is not that great in the air, OK at the hit outs, doesn’t mark the ball much, but gets in after the ball at ground level which helps the whole Swans’ clearance game.
“I think the Swans are better off for Brodie in and Buddy out.”
Morris responded to the comment by suggesting the Swans and Franklin were ready to split, 10 years after he first joined the club in 2014.
“The Swans would never say this publicly because Buddy was so good for them for so long, but make no mistake, the Swans had had enough of Buddy last year,” Morris said.
“They were ready to move on from Buddy last year and the fact that he retired without a press conference makes me think he was done with the Swans as well. It was time to part ways.”
After a calf injury ended his career, Franklin didn’t turn up to his retirement press conference and Swans coach John Longmire admitted that it was an emotional phone call when Franklin informed him he was considering ending his career.
According to reports, Franklin didn’t even want to be farewelled at the SCG before he eventually agreed to a lap of honour with wife Jesinta and their children Tullulah, 3, and Rocky, 2, in August.
The Swans had to immediately move on from Franklin to keep their 2023 campaign alive and showed they have got their eyes set on a big prize after reportedly offering a mega-deal to Western Bulldogs power forward Aaron Naughton during the 2023 AFL Trade Period.
According to reports in October, the Swans were one of several clubs to offer Naughton a 10-year contract.
After missing out on Naughton, the Swans have reportedly made Jamarra Ugle-Hagan the club’s top priority signing and have been forming plans to make the former No. 1 draft pick the next Buddy Franklin. Rumours swirled last year that the cashed-up Swans always had their eye on Ugle-Hagan and were never heavily interested in Naughton.
Meanwhile, the Swans are surviving just fine without a new key forward signing.
Logan McDonald (four goals) and Joel Amartey (two) both caused big headaches for the Magpies backline, while Isaac Heeney was among several players that were rotated between the midfield and forward line.
Longmire credited retired legend Franklin for playing a key role in the club’s forward line development over the last few years.
“Young key forwards find it hard against Steven May and Darcy Moore and these guys. They find it hard when they’re just getting bigger and stronger and they’re just growing,” Longmire said.
“So it was really important for Lance to be able to take those best defenders there for as long as he did and allow the natural growth of these young forwards to come through.”
Brownlow medal winner Jimmy Bartel also said the Swans are thriving with their new-look forward line.
“The first two games show that. Logan McDonald has definitely become a focal point and you can throw in (Joel) Amartey and you throw in (Hayden) McClean going forward.
“You have Hayward who takes the goalsquare at the moment, there is a few more different options, but he (Franklin) did leave a massive hole.
“We are talking about one of the all-time greats. They have done well to not recover but actually fill the void very quickly.”
Franklin retired after 19 seasons, eight All-Australian selections, two premierships, 354 games and 1066 goals.
Source Agencies
