Why did Franklin never get close to kicking 100+ again?

[Mitchell Madness]

Fair. Would have been cool to have 2 players kick 100 in a season in the same game.

Buddy was unbelievable that year.

2 players kicking 100 in a year has happened a few times. 99 is fevs on his own

 

[windyhill]

Greedy little papley.

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

He lost his ability to take contested marks with us after 08 due to thumb issues. That and our game plan became less Buddy focused.

He also missed at least 3 games every season for us between 2010-2013, 2011 and 2012 he could have at least got to 90+ if he didn't miss 3 and 6 games in those years

This. Botched recovery after his surgery with multiple re-infections (IIRC he went surfing soon after the surgery, I guess in the 2008 off-season?) - and never seemed to regain the strength in his hands. He was never a great contested mark anyway, but after this injury his marking became a genuine weakness right through his Hawthorn career.

In 2009 he moved up to CHF (Rough/Hale as the FF/FP/Ruck rotations) and didn't really get back to FF until he was at Swans in 2013.

 

[Always Ballin]

This. Botched recovery after his surgery with multiple re-infections (IIRC he went surfing soon after the surgery, I guess in the 2008 off-season?) - and never seemed to regain the strength in his hands. He was never a great contested mark anyway, but after this injury his marking became a genuine weakness right through his Hawthorn career.

In 2009 he moved up to CHF (Rough/Hale as the FF/FP/Ruck rotations) and didn't really get back to FF until he was at Swans in 2013.

Would you say 2008 was the best version of Franklin?

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

Would you say 2008 was the best version of Franklin?

2008 was clearly his best year after the siren!

For mine he was a more unique footballer in the 07-09 period - genuinely a midfielder in a KPP body. He kicked the century in 08, and perhaps as few as 20 were from contested marks at FF. He was a (very) tall, (VERY) fast flanker/pocket who simply couldn't be matched physically. He was taller, faster for longer. (Some 3rd talls seemed to do particularly well against Franklin as they were closer athletically in general play and Lance didn't dominate them in the air)

From 2010-2013 he was our CHF, getting upfield and (felt like) he was good for "20 and 3" (goals, 5 behinds!) each week. He was probably the better "footballer" through this time (and into Swans career), but less of an individual phenomenon. If I had to name a peak year, it was probably 2012.

Once he made it to the Swans, they appears to really build him up physically - he was far bigger and stronger through the body (and hands!), slower and FAR less agile and spent considerably more time close to goals. He was probably the best FF of his career during this time. After the first year his contested ability (and free kicks!) dramatically improved.

It may have all just been his natural development (skinny under-developed teenager, then agile tall in his early 20s, mature KPF late 20s, stay at home FF monster mid 30s), or it may have been how the two clubs saw his best impact to the team.

He was the best player of the last 20 years, without question IMO. Which version was best? Well that's up to the viewer.

Now I'll go home and pick the splinters out of my butt.

 

[Stottzy]

My thoughts on one of the reasons was the fact they bulked him up a bit. You look at his frame from 08-onwards. I even recall after 08, the pre season hype was that he had gotten bigger, but lost none of his agility and speed, however to me anyway, he just seemed to have lost a bit and started to go 1-1 more and wrestle for contested marks more.

 

[QuietB]

Clarko introduced the zone defence in/around 2008 - everyone else copied that - no one will ever kick 100 again.

Buddy pre defensive zones was unstoppable.

 

[Engimal v3]

Footy changed pretty quickly and teams already by that point had started working out that with all the changes to defensive structures that spreading the load on the scoreboard was the way to go going forward.

The Hawks in particular made an effort to add talent to the forward line and ensure they weren’t just totally reliant on Buddy.

Yep - I was reading Boomer's book and he was saying that defensive tactics in the 90s-early 2000s were as simple as "man up".

It wasn't until later that things like zone defence came about. Backlines working as a unit put an end to KPFs dominating games.

 

[Ed_Gein]

I've never forgiven Clarko for uber flooding around Fev to stop that happening. It would surely be historic to have two players reach 100 goals in the same match (I haven't checked to see if it's happened before in older times).

Similar, but Lockett kicked his 100th for the year and his 1,000th overall against Fremantle in 1995. So the crowd got to run on the field twice.

 

[Always Ballin]

Clarko introduced the zone defence in/around 2008 - everyone else copied that - no one will ever kick 100 again.

Buddy pre defensive zones was unstoppable.

Neil Craig? If I recall correctly, Adelaide implemented an 18-man zone to great success in 2005 and 2006. Clarkson's Cluster was more or less ripped from them.

Craig's greatest strength proves greatest weakness

Neil Craig was a successful and influential coach. He just didn't win anything.

www.theage.com.au

Craig developed a game that took a defensive structure in a way the game had not seen and drew on a sports science background to work his players. The game that has evolved into the press in large part began with the Crows and their grid defence. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon and Hawthorn counterpart Alastair Clarkson borrowed from Craig and applied their own interpretations. Malthouse further refined what they had done and compressed the defensive zone.

Adelaide coach Neil Craig believes AFL will continue to evolve

Thumbs up for AFL evolution

www.foxsports.com.au

Adelaide, in the Craig era since 2005, have been known to load up their defence with more than the traditional back six.

"I like to think we zone," Craig said of his tactics in defence.

"We have been zoning, playing that sort of football for three or four years. That is nothing new for us.

 

[T2B_]

Similar, but Lockett kicked his 100th for the year and his 1,000th overall against Fremantle in 1995. So the crowd got to run on the field twice.

Pretty incredible in itself really

 

[QuietB]

Neil Craig? If I recall correctly, Adelaide implemented an 18-man zone to great success in 2005 and 2006. Clarkson's Cluster was more or less ripped from them.

I believe most of what Clarko implemented was stolen from soccer. Clarko is credited with implementing the zone in AFL.

 

[Ed_Gein]

I believe most of what Clarko implemented was stolen from soccer. Clarko is credited with implementing the zone in AFL.

Are you sure? Rodney Eade in the mid-90's implemented a zone he took from basketball. Probably why we reached a grand final by surprise as it was new and successful.

 

[Always Ballin]

As Collingwood coach, Leigh Matthews implemented a zone defence to combat Robert Walls' huddle tactic. But that was only for kick-ins.

Flooding, zoning, and pressing share similarities but have noted differences.

 

[QuietB]

Are you sure? Rodney Eade in the mid-90's implemented a zone he took from basketball. Probably why we reached a grand final by surprise as it was new and successful.

Roll on: zone the coaches’ way forward

In an exclusive afl.com.au survey, coaches say the 2009 season will be all about zones, clusters and zealous defence

www.afl.com.au

 

[Bedi]

Had the same amount of Brownlow votes (20) in 2011 as he did in 2008. Kicked 82 goals but was used much more up the ground as a linking player than stay home forward, all while having the most marks inside 50, so arguably was as good a season he had.