Buddy brims with confidence
Everything’s on the line for Pies in scrambling AFL round
LANCE Franklin expects to be back to his brilliant best in 2020, with the star forward already eyeing 350 games for the club where he will finish his career.
The 32-year-old has endured a hugely frustrating injury-hit campaign and featured in just nine of the Swans’ games.
But he insists he’s fit and raring to go for the season finale against St Kilda at the SCG tomorrow – an occasion which sees Franklin make his milestone 300th appearance and sees the club farewell Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh.
“I’m definitely very proud,” Franklin said. “To play 300 games, you’ve got to be doing something right.”
And once the curtain comes down on the current campaign, Franklin is determined to give himself the best possible platform to help the club push for a finals berth next year.
The forward admits his lead-in to this season was far from ideal as he recovered from groin surgery and had limited time on the track before pulling on the boots for Round 1.
“I’m looking forward to having a little bit of a break but then getting back into a really strong pre-season and hopefully have a really good year next year,” he said.
When asked if there was still plenty left in the tank, Franklin was unequivocal.
“Definitely,” he said.
“Very confident I’ve still got some really good football in front of me and I’ve got no doubt I can get back to my best next year.
“(Missing finals) is not a feeling I’m used to. It’s going to be hard watching but I as I said before, we’ve got a young group but we’ve also got a lot of experience here, too.
“I can definitely see us popping back up into finals next year.”
Franklin still has several years to run on his Swans mega-deal but then that should be that.
“(I’ve) still got three more years,” he said. “I think that’ll do me after the three years.
“I’ll be 35 or 36 by then so hopefully get to 350 games would be nice.” A POTENTIAL top-four finish for Collingwood or a confidence-boosting launching pad into the AFL finals for Essendon – the stakes will be high at the MCG when Round 23 begins tonight with a blockbuster clash between the traditional rivals.
It’s a fitting start to a grandstand finish to the home-andaway season that has 11 clubs vying for spots in the eight with multiple permutations to play out across the weekend.
The fifth-placed Pies can finish as high as third with a win tonight if West Coast or Richmond slip up. The Bombers will finish between sixth and eighth after securing their finals berth with last week’s win over Fremantle.
Win, lose or draw, Essendon will be desperate to play well and enter September confident of a first finals win since their elimination final victory against Melbourne in 2004.
Securing a double chance is a huge carrot for Nathan Buckley’s men as last year’s beaten grand finalists aim to hit the finals with momentum.
If Collingwood can do their bit and make it four wins on the trot they face an anxious wait to learn their fate.
The Pies need Hawthorn to upset the Eagles at Optus Stadium tomorrow night or ladder leaders Brisbane to beat the Tigers at the MCG on Sunday to jump into the top four.
If neither of those results occur they will finish fifth and could host the Bombers in an elimination final.