Buddy takes centre stage with the Cats only able to look on ...
It seems unrealistic to start this week's column without mention of Lance 'Buddy' Franklin. So, off the top, how 'buddy' good was last Friday night. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) gave, as always, a great aesthetic backdrop to a theatrical masterpiece.
Franklin joined a pantheon of AFL greats after booting goal number four, taking him to the nirvana of 1000 league goals, so, becoming just the sixth VFL/AFL player to reach the historic milestone.
As an 'Englishman in Geelong' - my attention peaked the moment the yellow Sherrin was en route to the magical 1000th.
The kick was a precursor to my uninitiated curiosity around the imminent ground invasion. Fans sat atop the perimeter fencing, anticipating their opportunity to share in this unique, and magical moment. I was not disappointed. The fans were not to be denied, either.
Boston, MA - is a mad, mad, sports town. Having a circle of friends who reside in 'Bean town' - I managed to give them an early 'heads-up' on the unique prospect of an allowed ground invasion, during a professional game of football! Explaining what code of football was too difficult, and might of distracted them from their curiosity.
The majority mocked in dis-belief; some were amused at the prospect; the rest wished Big Buddy on, having little idea who he was. Most of them still use Jarryd Hayne as a conduit between American and Australian football; the 'Hayne Plane' flew high for a short time. Sadly, the plane is now permanently grounded.
Buddy did not disappoint. Rarely has he done this during a stellar 17 year career.
The yellow Sherrin obliged, turning end over end, depicting a perfect drop-punt. A theatrical masterpiece. And, Boston rocked in unison, marveling in the unprecedented chaos that followed. Buddy was no longer a stranger to them; Fenway Park invasions were already in the making.
Travel back to the 2013 American League Championship game.
The Boston Red Sox were trailing the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning. Enter, David Ortiz, dubbed the Babe Ruth of the Red Sox. Ortiz (Big Papi) launches a grand-slam hit off Joaquin Benoit, tying the game, and then his side went on to win the World Series. If only they could travel back in time. Fenway would have its own invasion.
35-year-old Franklin joined; Tony Lockett (1,360 goals), Gordon Coventry (1,299), Jason Dunstall (1,254), Doug Wade (1,057) and Gary Ablett senior (1,031) in the exclusive club. There's a firm argument that this exclusive club is closed to all membership applications, with Franklin likely to be the last inductee. What do you think?
Personally, I'm saying, never say never. Much the same as we will await the next Shane Warne - patiently, oh so patiently.
With a Cats hat back on - spare a thought for Geelong young gun Jack Henry, who is seven centimetres shorter than Franklin, 12 years his junior, and sits 229 games behind Franklin, his opponent, for most of the night.
Franklin opened his account with a set-shot from the pocket just before quarter-time. A quiet second quarter was followed by a productive third, with goals two and three registered. Then, as if stage-managed, he slotted the magical 1000th close to the end of proceedings. Chad Warner had the assist. And it was a night to remember, across continents.
The Cats started strongly with a pair of goals from Jake Kolodjashnij and Zach Tuohy inside the opening five minutes. Sadly, the karma bus stalled soon after, and never got going again.
An innate sense of inevitability set in - propelling the unrelenting Sydney Swans forward; I was sure the occasion might get in front of their performance; it was not to be. On the contrary, they ran on top of the ground all night long, leaving the Cats constantly off pace. Contest after contest went to the Swans advantage, and they converted opportunities with confidence.
Geelong did miss opportunities, still, it seemed they always had to play catch-up. Sydney punished them with direct corridor control, and continual over-lap running, allowing the Swans to get out the back too often.
A four-goal blitz within a seven-minute burst early in the second quarter opened up a 28-point lead. And, the Swans never looked back.
On a night when Sydney dominated forward play, Brad Close stood tall for the Cats with four goals from 18 disposals. He added five tackles, and a game-high 11 score involvements. *Working hard here on my analytical switch to Footy*
Irony abounds when you think about a Coleman medal winner playing in this game - the Cats, Jeremy Cameron.
He kicked 67 goals in the 2019 home-and-away season, earning the Coleman medal. On this trajectory, assuming that this was his first year, and he maintained form and fitness, he would have to play 15 more seasons to join Franklin, in the 1000 goal club!
Kudos to Cameron though, he chose to back up after a tough hit last week. Pakington Street is not as seductive as she might think. Cameron worked tirelessly through the night, finishing one of the Cats best, regardless of him not hitting the scoreboard.
SYDNEY: 4.3 11.3 15.4 17.5 (107)
GEELONG: 2.4 6.7 8.13 10.17 (77)
GOALS
Sydney: Heeney 5, Franklin 4, Hayward 3, Gulden, McLean, Mills, Rowbottom
Geelong: Close 3, Atkins, Duncan, Kolodjashnij, Parfitt, Tuohy
BEST
Sydney: Heeney, Mills, Gulden, Blakey, Warner, Franklin, Stephens
Geelong: Close, Selwood, Stewart, Smith
Agreed … very little coach talk here, we will get back to that next week. Locked in.
Decided on more of a report based column, and some embellishment on the back of Buddy, and his 1000, also a connection to Boston and baseball. As always, I appreciate your reading time.
David Ortiz, and the Red Sox, are big deals, larger than life. I heard a priceless quote on Ortiz during the most recent baseball lock-out. Wanted to share this with you?
He was arguing for the players, obviously, but, in this instance his comments might of crossed a blurred line. The commentator unwittingly said ‘David Ortiz doesn’t realise how much weight he carries …’ Big Papi was a designated hitter, and played first base. He didn’t move too far, he wasn’t required to move too far. He is a big unit. Run for the hills that commentator.
As always, thank you for being here.
