NGHAWK
16 Mar 2007, 06:46
Franklin learning to fly
16 March 2007 Herald-Sun
Trevor Grant
WHEN Lance Franklin presses the "go" button and those long, lean limbs propel him into another exhilarating swoop towards goal, he instantly ignites the raw passion and breathless excitement that underpins the game.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5418274,00.jpg
At 20, and about to enter only his third AFL season at Hawthorn, "Buddy", as he is universally known, has become one of the new-generation performers the football world cannot help but drool over.
He appears, in every way, the dream package in the modern world of professional sport, where branding and marketing assumes almost as much importance as points and premierships. Thus, he presents a considerable dilemma for his club.
Franklin, who comes from the tiny West Australian sheepbelt town of Dowerin, isn't everything that he appears out on the ground.
As brilliant, as balanced and as assured as he might be in a pair of football boots, when you take him out of this comfort zone, he's a typically unsophisticated, wide-eyed, headstrong kid with much to learn about life in the unforgiving glare of the nation's most-watched football code.
The Hawks some time ago activated an intensive program to ensure that Franklin is able to extract every possible gain from his rich natural talent and help lead the club's much-anticipated return to the upper echelon of the AFL competition.
The strategy involves trying to subdue, both inside and outside the club, the natural inclination to celebrate his individual brilliance, while at the same time taking care not to stifle his most valuable asset.
Whenever talk turns to Franklin, Hawthorn is at pains to emphasise he is merely another building block rather than a foundation pillar.
"The whole culture here is that it's not a one-man show. We have brought in a whole crop of exciting talents to help rebuild the club. Lance is part of that," senior coach Alastair Clarkson said.
In its efforts to emphasise it is not a one-man show, no club could have employed more men, resources and diligence into making certain Franklin does not stray from his carefully sign-posted route to success.
`Operation Buddy' is a collective effort that has involved the coaching staff, players and senior club officials. While every young player on the list is carefully monitored as soon as he arrives at the club, they have watched over Franklin like, well, a hawk from the day he arrived in November 2004 as the No. 5 choice in the national draft. His relationship with senior teammate and fellow-forward Ben Dixon is a perfect example of the up-close-and-personal nature of the monitoring process.
Along with now-retired forward, John Barker, Dixon, 29, and in his 11th season, became a mentor a couple of seasons ago when it was obvious he needed guidance.
He has helped Franklin in every aspect of his career, from showing him how to avoid trouble when he's in a nightspot or at a function to the right place to be when the ball is heading into the forward line.
"When he came here I saw his potential and, being a senior forward, I offered to take him under my wing and show him the ropes," Dixon explained.
"A big part of his game is his running. Not so long ago it was a bit like `Cut the reins off him and he'll take off in any direction'. Now he is running much smarter and using his assets better.
"His attributes are still pretty much untapped. He was very raw. He'd be taking on too many blokes and getting caught with the ball. His repeat efforts weren't there. He was a one-burst player, and then you wouldn't see him. Now he'll stay in the contest and contributes with second and third efforts."
Dixon unashamedly serves as a constant, very loud reminder to Franklin that he still has a long way to go. He says that out on the ground he talks to him non-stop.
"He does it a lot less now, but sometimes when the ball comes in he spectates. I've got to snap him into gear. I talk to him about hunting the ball. We all know he can have such a big impact around the ball. When he's around it, I'll be yelling, `Get at it, Buddy, get at it'. I do it to keep him thinking," Dixon said.
"It's not all about him out there, of course. But I get in the mood where I want to `gee' him up. He's so exciting. I just want to see him go, to run and jump at the ball. My main focus is to keep him focused and positive."
The same philosophy about keeping his mind on the job has applied away from the field.
Franklin developed a reputation for intemperate behaviour in social situations soon after arriving at Hawthorn. As much as he sets the fans' pulses racing the moment he gets near the ball, he has done the same thing to Hawthorn officials, in a very different way, well away from the ground. It resulted in the leadership group applying certain constraints on his night-life for about six weeks last year.
As with Dixon, Barker offered to help him after it was decided that when he wanted to go out on the town, he had to do so with a senior player.
"I didn't necessarily chaperone him. But if he wanted to head out he'd give one of the senior guys a call and we'd go and have a few milkshakes late. It was about him understanding the situations in which you can find yourself as a player," Barker said.
Although he is now an assistant coach at St Kilda, Barker says he maintains contact with Franklin.
"I sense he does want to go the whole nine yards with his career but I don't think he's yet got a full understanding of what that is, and the process it takes to get there," he said.
The signs are good, especially after an impressive pre-season and brilliant start in the pre-season matches, kicking five goals against Melbourne and three against Carlton.
"In both the football and social areas, he has to carry himself in a way that is conforming and beneficial to him and the team," Barker said.
"He has become a role model and his understanding of that is growing. When he gets in precarious situations he's getting better at understanding how to work through it.
"With his football, he needs to do the right thing for team structures, but you have to be careful not to stifle him in doing so. It's a balancing act but it's not too difficult. He can obviously develop into a very good AFL player. How far he wants to go is in his court."
For a young man with a lot of swagger, advice is not always easily digested. However, Dixon says he's doing a great job of swallowing it.
"He's a real larrikin constantly hanging it on the blokes. He's actually got a bit of presence in the group already and he's only 20," Dixon said. "He's also pretty cunning and a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He's very receptive to what you say, like a sponge. Towards the last half of last year, he really started to think about his footy. He really matured as a player. His pre-season has shown that."
Buddy Franklin is well and truly out of the bottle, and there's no telling what might happen. We can all only tingle with expectation.
16 March 2007 Herald-Sun
Trevor Grant
WHEN Lance Franklin presses the "go" button and those long, lean limbs propel him into another exhilarating swoop towards goal, he instantly ignites the raw passion and breathless excitement that underpins the game.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,5418274,00.jpg
At 20, and about to enter only his third AFL season at Hawthorn, "Buddy", as he is universally known, has become one of the new-generation performers the football world cannot help but drool over.
He appears, in every way, the dream package in the modern world of professional sport, where branding and marketing assumes almost as much importance as points and premierships. Thus, he presents a considerable dilemma for his club.
Franklin, who comes from the tiny West Australian sheepbelt town of Dowerin, isn't everything that he appears out on the ground.
As brilliant, as balanced and as assured as he might be in a pair of football boots, when you take him out of this comfort zone, he's a typically unsophisticated, wide-eyed, headstrong kid with much to learn about life in the unforgiving glare of the nation's most-watched football code.
The Hawks some time ago activated an intensive program to ensure that Franklin is able to extract every possible gain from his rich natural talent and help lead the club's much-anticipated return to the upper echelon of the AFL competition.
The strategy involves trying to subdue, both inside and outside the club, the natural inclination to celebrate his individual brilliance, while at the same time taking care not to stifle his most valuable asset.
Whenever talk turns to Franklin, Hawthorn is at pains to emphasise he is merely another building block rather than a foundation pillar.
"The whole culture here is that it's not a one-man show. We have brought in a whole crop of exciting talents to help rebuild the club. Lance is part of that," senior coach Alastair Clarkson said.
In its efforts to emphasise it is not a one-man show, no club could have employed more men, resources and diligence into making certain Franklin does not stray from his carefully sign-posted route to success.
`Operation Buddy' is a collective effort that has involved the coaching staff, players and senior club officials. While every young player on the list is carefully monitored as soon as he arrives at the club, they have watched over Franklin like, well, a hawk from the day he arrived in November 2004 as the No. 5 choice in the national draft. His relationship with senior teammate and fellow-forward Ben Dixon is a perfect example of the up-close-and-personal nature of the monitoring process.
Along with now-retired forward, John Barker, Dixon, 29, and in his 11th season, became a mentor a couple of seasons ago when it was obvious he needed guidance.
He has helped Franklin in every aspect of his career, from showing him how to avoid trouble when he's in a nightspot or at a function to the right place to be when the ball is heading into the forward line.
"When he came here I saw his potential and, being a senior forward, I offered to take him under my wing and show him the ropes," Dixon explained.
"A big part of his game is his running. Not so long ago it was a bit like `Cut the reins off him and he'll take off in any direction'. Now he is running much smarter and using his assets better.
"His attributes are still pretty much untapped. He was very raw. He'd be taking on too many blokes and getting caught with the ball. His repeat efforts weren't there. He was a one-burst player, and then you wouldn't see him. Now he'll stay in the contest and contributes with second and third efforts."
Dixon unashamedly serves as a constant, very loud reminder to Franklin that he still has a long way to go. He says that out on the ground he talks to him non-stop.
"He does it a lot less now, but sometimes when the ball comes in he spectates. I've got to snap him into gear. I talk to him about hunting the ball. We all know he can have such a big impact around the ball. When he's around it, I'll be yelling, `Get at it, Buddy, get at it'. I do it to keep him thinking," Dixon said.
"It's not all about him out there, of course. But I get in the mood where I want to `gee' him up. He's so exciting. I just want to see him go, to run and jump at the ball. My main focus is to keep him focused and positive."
The same philosophy about keeping his mind on the job has applied away from the field.
Franklin developed a reputation for intemperate behaviour in social situations soon after arriving at Hawthorn. As much as he sets the fans' pulses racing the moment he gets near the ball, he has done the same thing to Hawthorn officials, in a very different way, well away from the ground. It resulted in the leadership group applying certain constraints on his night-life for about six weeks last year.
As with Dixon, Barker offered to help him after it was decided that when he wanted to go out on the town, he had to do so with a senior player.
"I didn't necessarily chaperone him. But if he wanted to head out he'd give one of the senior guys a call and we'd go and have a few milkshakes late. It was about him understanding the situations in which you can find yourself as a player," Barker said.
Although he is now an assistant coach at St Kilda, Barker says he maintains contact with Franklin.
"I sense he does want to go the whole nine yards with his career but I don't think he's yet got a full understanding of what that is, and the process it takes to get there," he said.
The signs are good, especially after an impressive pre-season and brilliant start in the pre-season matches, kicking five goals against Melbourne and three against Carlton.
"In both the football and social areas, he has to carry himself in a way that is conforming and beneficial to him and the team," Barker said.
"He has become a role model and his understanding of that is growing. When he gets in precarious situations he's getting better at understanding how to work through it.
"With his football, he needs to do the right thing for team structures, but you have to be careful not to stifle him in doing so. It's a balancing act but it's not too difficult. He can obviously develop into a very good AFL player. How far he wants to go is in his court."
For a young man with a lot of swagger, advice is not always easily digested. However, Dixon says he's doing a great job of swallowing it.
"He's a real larrikin constantly hanging it on the blokes. He's actually got a bit of presence in the group already and he's only 20," Dixon said. "He's also pretty cunning and a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He's very receptive to what you say, like a sponge. Towards the last half of last year, he really started to think about his footy. He really matured as a player. His pre-season has shown that."
Buddy Franklin is well and truly out of the bottle, and there's no telling what might happen. We can all only tingle with expectation.