Lance Franklin

Infobox afl player NEW
playername = Lance Franklin
fullname = Lance 'Buddie' Franklin, Jr.
image capt =


birthdate = Birth date and age|1987|1|30|df=y
birthplace = PerthSheehan, Mike; [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23167863-11088,00.html Hawks know Lance Franklin is a prized possession] ; Herald Sun; 2008-02-06]
religion = Catholic
originalteam = Perth Football Club
draftpick = 5^th overall, 2004
AFL Haw
heightweight = 196cm / 101kg
position = Centre Half Forward, Full Forward
goals for 2008 season = 111
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
currentclub = AFL Haw
guernsey = 23
years = 2005 –
clubs = AFL Haw
games(goals) = 81 (238)
sooyears = 2008
sooteams = Dream Team
soogames(goals) = 1 (4)
nationalyears =
nationalteams =
nationalgames(goals) =
coach = notcoach
coachyears =
coachclubs =
coachgames(wins) =
statsend = 2008
careerhighlights =
* AFL Rising Star nominee 2005
* Hawthorn leading goalkicker 2007, 2008
* All-Australian 2008
* Coleman Medal 2008
* AFL Premiership Player 2008
* Hawthorn Football Club Best and Fairest 2008

Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr. (born 30 January 1987) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL). Franklin has played for the Hawthorn Football Club since his AFL debut in 2005.

Early life

Franklin grew up in Dowerin, Western Australia, and attended Wesley College. He played one senior game for the Perth Demons in 2004 [http://www.waflonline.com.au/players/player.php?playerID=6538 WAFL online] ] and represented WA at the national under 18s carnival. Hawthorn selected him with their second pick, number five overall, in the 2004 AFL Draft.

Career

2005

Debuting in Round 1 of the 2005 season, Franklin had a strong presence up forward and played 20 out of 22 games.

2006

After injuring an ankle and a hand early in the 2006 season, he returned thru the Victorian Football League for his first AFL game of the season in Round 9 against Sydney. In Round 12, Buddy produced a 6 goal haul against Richmond.

On the 13 July 2006 "Buddy" signed a new two year deal with Hawthorn, after being linked with clubs such as Essendon, West Coast and Fremantle. Another bag of 6 late in the season prompted predictions of Franklin to be the next big name forward in the AFL.

2007

Franklin had his best season so far in 2007, finishing the home and away season with 63 goals, putting him 3rd in the Coleman medal tally behind runner up Matthew Pavlich of Fremantle and the season's Coleman medalist Jonathan Brown of Brisbane.

Franklin's tally included 9 goals in Hawthorn's win against Essendon in round 6. However, in Round 21 against the Western Bulldogs, Lance kicked a record 11 behinds with his 2 goals. Only Jack Titus and St Kilda's Dave McNamara have kicked more behinds in a game without managing more than 2 goals. However, despite Franklin's inaccuracy, Hawthorn still won the match.

In the 1st elimination final of 2007, the Hawks mounted a big comeback in the second half against Adelaide. Big "Buddy" was instrumental in the win, kicking 7 goals on his finals debut including the winning goal, from outside 50 metres with just 7 seconds left on the clock. Hawthorn were eliminated out of the Finals the following week by North Melbourne.

2008

In this year Franklin established himself as one of the pre-eminent players in the AFL, and was the recipient of the Coleman Medal with 102 goals in the home-and-away season. His season-high of 9 goals came against Essendon in round 11.

Franklin kicked his 100th goal for the home-and-away season against Carlton in round 22, becoming the first in a decade to kick 100 goals in the AFL home-and-away season (Tony Lockett in 1998). It was estimated that between 5-8 thousand supporters stormed the field and formed a massive huddle around Franklin, who was shortly ushered off the field into the change rooms until the ground had cleared. Prior to the match, the AFL had warned of a $6000 fine for every individual who jumped the fence; evidently this was not a concern for the thousands who did just that; an AFL tradition that will live on. [Lance 'Buddy' Franklin boots 100 goals at Telstra Dome] ] He also was the first aboriginal player to achieve this [http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/franklin-is-the-shape-of-things-to-come/2008/09/03/1220121329953.html Franklin is the shape of things to come] ] . Franklin became the first Hawthorn player since Jason Dunstall in 1996 to reach 100 goals in a season. He then added to that by kicking another 8 in the qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs to tie the record of goals kicked by a Hawthorn player in a finals match. Hawthorn were the crowned premiers in the 2008 AFL Grand Final and, while Franklin did not have a dominant grand final match, he received the Peter Crimmins Medal (Hawthorn's best and fairest) a week later for his consistent and high-level season. [http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24448596-23211,00.html Franklin wins Peter Crimmins Medal] ]

Family

Franklin's father, Lance Franklin Snr, represented his state in Hockey. .Geoff McClure; cite web | url= http://www.theage.com.au/news/Geoff-McClure/Sporting-Life/2005/04/18/1113676701801.html |title= Why Hawks are sold on Franklin | publisher = [http://www.theage.com.au The Age] |accessdate = 2008-04-23] Lance is the younger brother of West Coast Fever netball player Bianca Franklin.Murphy, Catherine; cite web | url= http://www.afl.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=48843 |title= Women are all around Buddy | publisher = [http://www.afl.com.au AFL website] |accessdate = 2007-08-09]

The nickname "Buddy" was given to him by his family as a way to distinguish between himself and his dog when being called for around the house. This was revealed by Franklin in an interview where he was asked viewer questions during round 16 in the 2008 season. His cousin Angus Williamson is expected to go top three at the 2009 national draft. Franklin has been quoted saying that Angus will never be as good as he is. Fact|date=July 2008

tatistics

: "Statistics are correct as end of season, 2008" (September 27, 2008)

References

External links

*Hawplayer|ref=352233
*AflRleague|ref=L/Lance_Franklin.html.