Lance Franklin could face match review officer trouble for punching Sam Collins during the Swans’ 49-point win over Gold Coast on Saturday.
Showing no sign of a Grand Final hangover after being dismantled by Geelong last year, Sydney excelled with a 16.14 (110) to 9.7 (61) win as they became just the second Grand Finalist to be beaten in seven years, who won their opening game.
Franklin has scored twice but may have a case to answer after making high contact with Collins in the last quarter. The Suns defender has been sent for a concussion assessment while the Swans superstar is now sweating over the MRO verdict.
The strike sparked debate at Fox Footy, with Nick Dal Santo suggesting that Franklin could be in trouble given the AFL’s push to remove concussions from the game.
“The AFL is asking you to go to the football and his hands aren’t reaching for the ball,” the former AFL star said.
Lance Franklin could get in trouble with the Match Review Officer over a bump against Sam Collins
The Swans superstar punched up Collins, forcing the Suns defenseman to suffer a concussion early in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game
“Any headbutt is unfortunately the responsibility of the bumper.”
However, former Hawthorn star Dermott Brereton argued Franklin had limited leeway to keep himself from clashing with Collins.
‘He [Franklin] adjusts to that,” he said.
“Leaves your eye on the footy – it’s only for a millisecond but he’s chasing the ball.”
Franklin set the tone for the Swans’ dominant win from the start in his 19th and final season, tagging over the head of Collins and booming the opener high in the stands.
Then his set shot aimed and sent Sydney on his way. Franklin passed Barry Hall to move up to third in the club’s goalscoring chart within the first 10 minutes.
“He was charging around and it was really hot, humid conditions out there, really slippery,” Swans coach John Longmire said.
“But it was a bit drier in the first quarter and we were able to put some balls through […] he could really be present, but so were the others.
Franklin rallied high on Collins early in the fourth quarter on Saturday
Longmire dismissed the result linked to the big final loss in 2022, saying Rampe’s cleverness in the slippery conditions shone while his defensive work rate set the tone.
“We talked about the grand final before Christmas but it’s been six months so we’re moving on to next year,” he said.
Twelve different Swans scored goals, but none managed more than two, while Rampe (25 touches) braved the slippery, muggy conditions and had 20 dismounts at half-time.
Chad Warner (30), Jake Lloyd (28) and Dylan Stephens (27) then hit the road.
That spread set off a team-wide display of pressure that rocked the Suns early, with 11 goals from turnovers killing Stuart Dew’s men.
The contest was over in virtually 20 minutes, the Swans scoring the game’s first five goals and Franklin being the opening couple.
Two late goals saved the Suns in the first quarter, then David Swallow’s snap jumped through to start the third term and suddenly Gold Coast was just 15 behind.
But that push was brief, with Tom Papley scoring two highlight reel goals as part of a blitz on either side of three-quarters time that ended the contest.
Back in his first AFL game since 2021, Ben King had to wait until the third quarter for his first kick.
But deep in the pocket it was long and straight for a Suns goal in front of 13,648 fans.
Franklin started his 19th and final AFL season in style by scoring two goals against the Suns
He was one of 12 Swans players to score as Sydney beat Gold Coast by 49 points
He then placed his body on the line to deflect a loose ball towards Ben Ainsworth for the first of his two goals in the last quarter.
Sun’s ruckman Jarrod Witts struggled hard while it took Touk Miller (29 touches) and Matt Rowell (28) until the third term to get their hands on the ball with some authority.
“They surpassed us, outnumbered us which allowed their class to prevail and when we won them back we were under more pressure than we put it out,” Dew said.
“We have a lot to do.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/afl/article-11875583/Buddy-Franklin-risks-suspended-brutal-late-bump-Sam-Collins.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Buddy Franklin risks suspension for brutal late smack on Sam Collins
