Lance “Buddy” Franklin was adamant about having no fanfare for his retirement, Sydney Swans coach John Longmire said.
The Sydney and Hawthorn key forward was conspicuously absent from his own farewell announcement after he hung up the boots on Monday.
The decision was made after a calf injury forced him out of Saturday’s win over Essendon.
While Franklin shared his decision with the club in the morning, it was Longmire and club chief executive Tom Harley who would pass the news to the world without him.
“He is an unbelievably private person,” Harley said at an afternoon media conference.
“From the club’s point of view, we are absolutely comfortable with that.
“We probably all want to hear from Lance and I’m sure that will happen in time.”
This isn’t the first time Franklin has forgone a media conference following a career milestone.
No word was to be heard from the 36-year-old after he kicked his 1000th goal in March 2022.
The whole AFL world may have been watching but for Franklin, revelling in the moment was enough.
“He’s always been low key – ‘I don’t want any fanfare, there’s no fanfare’,” Longmire said.
“I said, ‘Well, there’s a fact of life here mate, you are one of the all-time greats’. But he just doesn’t like these situations.”
Longmire said the confidence Franklin exuded on the field did not necessarily carry over to the rest of his life.
“He’s most comfortable at the footy ground, and everyone sees the way he walks over from the ground and thinks it’s 24 hours a day. It’s not; he’s just very humble and very private,” Longmire said.
Franklin began his footballing journey when drafted as pick five in 2004 by Hawthorn, where he became a dual premiership player.
He then stunned the sport at the end of the 2013 season by signing a mammoth nine-year deal with the Swans as a free agent, which was extended by one year in grand final week last season.
Regarded as the greatest forward of his generation, Franklin is a four-time Coleman medallist, an eight-time All Australian and a 13-time leading goalkicker for his club.
He is also the fourth Indigenous player to reach the 350 VFL/AFL games milestone, having reached 354 through 182 with Hawthorn and 172 at Sydney.
“He will be enormously missed but he has absolutely exhausted every last inch of his mind and body,” Harley said.
“He was a better player than I thought he was.
“To see him day in and day out, it’s not a stretch to say, he’s certainly the generation forward of our time.”
