Franklin | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Franklin

Back off track for a sec (sorry!) while I do think Gablett Sr was about the best, when he playing there seemed to more conjecture about it and even if agreed he was the best, it wasn't by the massive margin suggested by many nowadays. With the feats of all players on show at once, it makes it a bit more week to week and what you've just witnessed (and its not like he never ever put in a stinker, just like everyone). My recollection at the time was Locket and Dunstall (amongst others) compared pretty well too. Dunstall was a sublime FF (even when you take into account the team around him) and Locket kicked 10+ in a game 22 times (!!!!!!!!). In my mind the quintissential goal kicking forward in the history of the game - an unstoppable and prodigious force.
FWIW, other players that I think could be put as best ever would include Royce Hart and Leigh Matthews

Cheers :)
 
Mac said:
Back off track for a sec (sorry!) while I do think Gablett Sr was about the best, when he playing there seemed to more conjecture about it and even if agreed he was the best, it wasn't by the massive margin suggested by many nowadays. With the feats of all players on show at once, it makes it a bit more week to week and what you've just witnessed (and its not like he never ever put in a stinker, just like everyone). My recollection at the time was Locket and Dunstall (amongst others) compared pretty well too. Dunstall was a sublime FF (even when you take into account the team around him) and Locket kicked 10+ in a game 22 times (!!!!!!!!). In my mind the quintissential goal kicking forward in the history of the game - an unstoppable and prodigious force.
FWIW, other players that I think could be put as best ever would include Royce Hart and Leigh Matthews

Cheers :)
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The thing about Ablett snr was, there was nothing he couldn't do, or wouldn't do i.e. belt you. His only weakness IMO was that he was more an individual than a team player. Quite an eccentric personality to go with the freakish talent.
 
LeeToRainesToRoach said:
The thing about Ablett snr was, there was nothing he couldn't do, or wouldn't do i.e. belt you. His only weakness IMO was that he was more an individual than a team player. Quite an eccentric personality to go with the freakish talent.
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Yep. As mentioned I do reckon he was about the best I saw. I never saw Whitten, but Mr Football played every pozzie including ruck. Dirty B to boot. Would have loved to have seen him play
 
Only saw the last couple of years of Whitten's career but he was still a damn good player. Bobby Skilton was not much younger and also a gun.

G Ablett was fantastic but Leigh Matthews was better. He didn't really have any weaknesses. He was like a pumped-up Dustin Martin with Trent Cotchin's football brain and desperation. He couldn't be tackled, couldn't be pushed off the ball, couldn't be outmarked and if anyone tried he would just as soon put them in hospital as anything else.
 
Buddy not playing at all in 2020. After 10 games in ‘19. Is that $2m down the drain? And he still has 2 more years to go. He,ll be 34 and 35 for his last 2 seasons. $2m more to go. Personally I can’t see him coming back to his best in ‘21 and ‘22. Was it all worth $10m? Not in my book.
 
Sydney could have sat still and done nothing and allowed Franklin to go to GWs and lose ground in the Sydney market.

They made the big call. His first year was 2014 and in the 6 years to 2019 average home crowds were 359,290 compared to the 6 years previously to him being there the average home crowd was 318,828. So about 40,000 more each year. At say $25 those extra 40,000 made Sydney $60million.

Interestingly the lowest crowd numbers when Franklin has been there was last year when he only played 6 home games

They made a grand final so Sydney would not call it a mistake
 
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If someone crystal balled and said whoever signs Buddy will play 2 GF’s with him, he’d win 2 Coleman’s and 4 AA’s at a minimum every club in the AFL would bite his hand off and sign him for 9 years.
 
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TigerPort said:
Sydney could have sat still and done nothing and allowed Franklin to go to GWs and lose ground in the Sydney market.

They made the big call. His first year was 2014 and in the 6 years to 2019 average home crowds were 359,290 compared to the 6 years previously to him being there the average home crowd was 318,828. So about 40,000 more each year. At say $25 those extra 40,000 made Sydney $60million.

Interestingly the lowest crowd numbers when Franklin has been there was last year when he only played 6 home games

They made a grand final so Sydney would not call it a mistake
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According to your figures, the Swans made 6 million, not 60 million
 
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I can still remember Gary snr's first game for the cats, not from watching it, but from the around the grounds comments at half time.

I was listening to the Richmond game (of course), when the half time siren sounded and they started going around the grounds. The report at half time was that Gary snr is going to be a super star. The commentator off of 2 quarters was already calling it. He was playing off the wing at the time, and they were also wrapping up Greg Williams at the same time. Two pretty handy recruits. I remember thinking "that would be right, we got the wrong Abblett.

We were getting flogged at the time, can't remember who by, but it was becoming apparent that those early 80's glory days were gonsky!
 
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It was Round 1, 1984 and we were getting belted by Footscray.
Geelong were monstering Fitzroy at Geelong. The game is recalled very humourously on the Greg Williams Open Mike (It was Williams' first game).
 
I remember thinking when they signed him - he had to kick 100 goals a year for the term of his contract and every goal was still going to cost them $11,000 a goal if he achieved that. Suffice the say the goals have been a lot more expensive than that.
 
Sydney was always terrified of bottoming out and said they couldn't afford to. Port, Brisbane, Carlton and Melbourne to come says they're stuck in the bottom four. With their big ticket a lame duck. In COVID austerity.

If the virus situation isn't resolved for next season, they're going to struggle to keep their heads above water.
 
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Sydney can suck *smile*.
Suffer, They will have him on the books for next 2 years and taking residence in the medical rooms at the scg.
He was finished 2 years ago.
They brought him in to win a flag. But all they have done is lose quality players & quality draft picks and they have been left further away from a flag.
 
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