Lance Franklin could be in trouble with the match review official for a hit on Sam Collins during the Swans’ 49-point rout of the Gold Coast on Saturday.
Showing no sign of a hangover in the Grand Final following their dismantling at the hands of Geelong last year, Sydney was brilliant in a 16.14 (110) to 9.7 (61) win to become the second grand finalist to be beaten in seven years at win your opening. game.
Franklin scored twice, but may have a case to answer after making high contact with Collins in the fourth quarter. The Suns defender has been sent for a concussion evaluation, while the Swans superstar must now sweat the MRO verdict.
The hit sparked a debate on Fox Footy, with Nick Dal Santo suggesting that Franklin could find himself in trouble given the AFL’s push to eradicate concussions from the game.
“The AFL is asking you to go for the ball and their hands are not reaching the ball,” said the former AFL star.
Lance Franklin could be in trouble with the match review official for a hit on Sam Collins
The Swans superstar hit Collins high, forcing the Suns defenseman to undergo a concussion evaluation early in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game.
“Any blows to the head, unfortunately, are the responsibility of the bumper.”
However, former Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton argued that Franklin had limited space to avoid colliding with Collins.
“He (Franklin) is preparing for it,” he said.
‘He takes his eyes off football, it’s only for a split second, but he’s chasing the ball.’
Franklin, in his 19th and final season, set the tone for the Swans’ commanding victory early on, scoring over the head of Collins and firing the opener into the stands.
His set shot then straightened to send Sydney on their way, Franklin past Barry Hall to move into third in the club’s goalscoring table in a brilliant first 10 minutes.
“I was running and it was very hot, wet conditions, very slippery,” Swans coach John Longmire said.
‘But a little drier in that first quarter and we were able to pass some balls (…) he could have been a real presence, but so were the others.
Franklin picked up Collins early in the fourth quarter on Saturday
Dismissing the result in the context of his 2022 grand final loss, Longmire said Rampe’s intelligence 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 kicked goals but none managed more than two, while Rampe (25 touches) braved the slippery and wet conditions to have 20 half-time turnovers.
Chad Warner (30), Jake Lloyd (28) and Dylan Stephens (27) took over after that.
That difference sparked a display of team-wide pressure that rocked the Suns from the start, with 11 turnover goals killing Stuart Dew’s men.
The contest effectively ended within 20 minutes, the Swans kicking the game’s first five goals and Franklin the opening pair.
Two late goals rescued the Suns in the first quarter, then David Swallow’s cross jumped to start the third period and suddenly the Gold Coast were only 15 behind.
But that pressure was brief, Tom Papley scoring two standout goals as part of a blitz on either side of the three-quarter time that ended the contest.
Returning for his first AFL game since 2021, Ben King had to wait until the third quarter for his first kick.
But from deep in the pocket it was long and straight for a Suns goal in front of 13,648 fans.
Franklin kicked off his 19th and final AFL season in style by scoring twice against the Suns.
He was one of 12 Swans players to kick a goal as Sydney thrashed the Gold Coast by 49 points.
He then put his body into play to deflect a fumble to Ben Ainsworth for the first of his two goals in the fourth quarter.
Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts fought hard, while Touk Miller (29 touches) and Matt Rowell (28) took until the third period to get their hands on the ball with authority.
“They outworked us, they outnumbered us, which allowed their class to pull through and when we got it back we were under more pressure than we dealt,” Dew said.
We have a lot to work on.
