Buddy will miss clash

THERE will be plenty of rain tonight at a brutally cold MCG but no Lance Franklin to head up proceedings against his old AFL side Hawthorn.

The superstar forward, having won two premierships with the Hawks before heading north to Sydney, has been ruled out of the crunch clash.

Franklin, 31, has been spared the winter blast by coach John Longmore but not because the conditions won’t suit his ongoing foot issue.

“He’s pretty hard, he can play with injuries but we didn’t want to push it too much and put him at risk so we decided to can this week,” Longmire said.

“If he was fine last night and pulled up well today, he was always going to play regardless of the conditions.

“Unfortunately, he just couldn’t get through what was required.”

Franklin has missed three rounds due to a foot problem which has been attributed to the hard surface at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Excluding an 89-point blowout at Homebush, the average margin between the two sides since their 2014 grand final has been seven points.

Single-digit temperatures are forecast for the game.