Lance Franklin

[bulldogtragic]

And he kicked thirteen, thiiiirrteeeennn a year back.

[jeemak]

I had just forgotten about that match... What was I typing again?

Whilst I am hurt by the PF's during that time, the QF's of 2008-2009 disappointed me the most. Just not ready for finals footy on both occasions.

I can understand why you're traumatised.

[1eyedog]

Excellent.

Anyone who watched the 2008 QF when he tore us a new one should know how much of a freak he can be.

1ED's not saying he's as good as Jordan was in his sport mind. I don't think anyone's saying he is.

Nah I wasn't just really bored during the football hiatus mate and I guess just trying to draw comparisons between AFL players and others from world sport to assess how our athletes stack up. I realise some people worship Jordan though and that's cool.

[bulldogtragic]

Whilst I am hurt by the PF's during that time, the QF's of 2008-2009 disappointed me the most. Just not ready for finals footy on both occasions.

I can understand why you're traumatised.

Outside heart breaking PFs, the 08 Buddy show final the worst I've ever, ever felt at the football. A sad mix of helplessness, anger, disappointment, frustration, desperation, hope shattering combining to be a blunt trauma to my consciousness that my mind has tried to erase. And did well until this thread... The only way we got out of back 50 for 15 minutes was Buddy giving Lake 50 penalties. In a final... Arghhhhh...

Everyone has their one game (outside prelims), this is mine.

[Topdog]

I dont even worship Jordan though, far from it but Buddy just isnt in his league. I had erased that QF final from my memory so yes he has had excellent games in 2 finals. In Grand Finals he has scored 1 goal twice and of course the 3 goals 4 behinds with several easy misses when Sydney were able to slot 14.7. He has never dominated a finals series, never won the Norm Smith (dont think he has even got a vote) and hasnt had anywhere near the sort of impact on the sport that Jordan had.

Even as a forward for me he has nothing on Derm and Carey and his decreased output this year in every stat doesnt look like someone entering their prime.

[jeemak]

Yeah, I hear you.

The Geelong QF in 2009 was just putrid, because even as we weren't switched on we were still able to get back into it once we woke up.

[bulldogtragic]

Yeah, I hear you.

The Geelong QF in 2009 was just putrid, because even as we weren't switched on we were still able to get back into it once we woke up.

Sounds silly maybe, but I honestly think if we played remotely well, we could have beaten Geelong in EVERY final we played in those finals. And we should have... We were the team who actually had their measure IMO, just didn't do well enough for long enough.

[jeemak]

I think we lacked the star power to get us through over long stretches in games against the best teams, Geelong included. Having a fit and firing Cooney would have helped a lot though.

While guys like Franklin don't always dominate finals, so much of the opposition planning goes into stopping them and it allows other players to benefit from looser marking. We really lacked the player forward and through the middle that the opposition would have been completely shit scared of letting off the leash.

[LostDoggy]

You must be old or just watch Bulldogs games and it's not a disgrace it's a conversation topic and I'm asking who is like him in AFL in terms of freakish ability. I'm not saying he's as good as Jordan in a world sports sense.

7 goals in the 2007 elimination final his 7th with 11 secs on the clock stealing the win

Franklin kicked his 100th goal for the home and away season against Carlton in Round 22, becoming the first to kick 100 goals in the AFL home and away season since Tony Lockett in 1998

He then added to that by kicking another eight goals in a qualifying final against us, tying with Dermot Brereton for the most goals kicked by a Hawthorn player in a finals match.

8 goals in two finals in 2011.

Fairly good performances across 4 finals

Four AAs and he's only just turned 26 so is entering his prime.

Ablett.

[KT31]

Who would be your alternative? If you had to pick one player from the AFL who has the big-show qualities of Jordan who would it be?

Sorry 1eyedog, I missed this earlier.
I really don't think at the moment we have a player off Jordan's ilk in the AFL, for mine (and I know very little about basketball), but Jordan would be in the Whitten, Barassi league.
I do rate Ablett a lot more than Buddy, he was a star in a great team and is an absolute champion in a start up team.

[Twodogs]

Sorry 1eyedog, I missed this earlier.
I really don't think at the moment we have a player off Jordan's ilk in the AFL, for mine (and I know very little about basketball), but Jordan would be in the Whitten, Barassi league.
I do rate Ablett a lot more than Buddy, he was a star in a great team and is an absolute champion in a start up team.

I meant to mention this too. Teddy is an excellent example. He did the hard yards promoting the game by going up to the Tiwi Islands every year, going to games, visiting communities and IIRC the medal for the best player in the Grand Final is named after him. EJ didn't sit back and let TV do all the work for him. He went, he saw and he conquered.

[Bulldog4life]

I meant to mention this too. Teddy is an excellent example. He did the hard yards promoting the game by going up to the Tiwi Islands every year, going to games, visiting communities and IIRC the medal for the best player in the Grand Final is named after him. EJ didn't sit back and let TV do all the work for him. He went, he saw and he conquered.

And Ted was such a freakish player that he could play any position on the ground...and he did.

[Twodogs]

And Ted was such a freakish player that he could play any position on the ground...and he did.

Imagine what the hype surrounding him would have been like if he had played these days?

[bulldogtragic]

Imagine what the hype surrounding him would have been like if he had played these days?

Somewhere between Buddy, Matthews, Carey, Ablett. Matthews probably as the way Teddy was maliciously 'rumoured' to whack opposition players, he'd be under a little scrutiny of the match review panel...

[1eyedog]

I dont even worship Jordan though, far from it but Buddy just isnt in his league. I had erased that QF final from my memory so yes he has had excellent games in 2 finals. In Grand Finals he has scored 1 goal twice and of course the 3 goals 4 behinds with several easy misses when Sydney were able to slot 14.7. He has never dominated a finals series, never won the Norm Smith (dont think he has even got a vote) and hasnt had anywhere near the sort of impact on the sport that Jordan had.

Even as a forward for me he has nothing on Derm and Carey and his decreased output this year in every stat doesnt look like someone entering their prime.

Yeah all that is fair enough - no question he has freakish ability in patches though.