Footy fans have poked fun at Channel Seven’s choice of Covid-safe equipment in its post-match interview with Lance Franklin after he had just been swarmed by thousands of people upon reaching a rare milestone.
Fans stormed onto the Sydney Cricket Ground in celebratory mayhem as Franklin became the sixth person in VFL/AFL history to kick 1,000 career goals in the Swans convincing win over Geelong.
But after the game many football followers turned to social media to critique the use of a microphone attached to a boom handle to maintain social distancing during commentator Matthew Richardson’s interview with Franklin.
Many cheeky fans sarcastically applauded the network’s Covid-compliant equipment choice, given the SCG field had been a swarm of red and white just minutes earlier
The SCG playing surface was completely taken over by fans, prompting Seven commentator James Brayshaw to remark: ‘I’ve never seen scenes like that at a sporting event anywhere’
Commenters were quick to point out how ludicrous the social distancing measure was after thousands of people had just packed tightly around the Hawthorn and Swans great, preventing him leaving the field.
Ex-AFL stars like Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes also joined the roast of Richardson’s mic, tweeting: ‘The long covid proof mic seems a bit ridiculous after he’s just been hugged by 20k strangers.’
Collingwood footballer Dane Swan wrote: ”We are not still using the social distancing microphones are we? Surely ya get Richo next to him. He’s just kicked 1000 for god’s sake and ya stick a 6ft pole in his face.’
‘Glad they used the long mic stand when interviewing him so no one got too close to Buddy.’ tweeted writer, broadcaster and sports obsessive Titus O’Reilly.
Footy fans had a crack at Channel Seven’s pandemic-approved microphone on a boom handle (pictured)
Fans then pointed out that Richardson shook Franklin’s hand at the end of the interview anyway, before Seven’s commentary team made their way down to the Swans rooms, using stubby mics and giving handshakes.
The last time the AFL saw a pitch invasion, Franklin was also swarmed when he kicked his 100th goal in a season in 2008.
Fan were seen with legs already over the fence as Franklin backed up to kick for his fourth major of the game and had no trouble swamping the field in their thousands despite the fact dozens of security guards were stationed around the boundary fence.
Franklin leaps for joy with two teammates after kicking his 1,000th goal. Seconds later he was absolutely swamped by ecstatic fans
Franklin yells with delight as he’s ringed by thousands of fans – enough to cover most of the SCG playing surface
Dozens of security guards were stationed around the boundary fence but they had no hope of stopping the human tsunami after Franklin booted his fourth major
The Hawks and Swans great was surrounded by fans after kicking his 1000th goal
Franklin’s fellow Swans were the first to reach him after his 1,000th AFL goal soared through the posts – but the fans weren’t far behind
Lost in a sea of hands: Franklin is somewhere in the middle of this huge throng of fans, who swept onto the SCG in unprecedented numbers
An aerial shot showed almost all of the playing surface completely covered by overjoyed fans, who showed no signs of returning to their seats for more than 20 minutes after the ball sailed through the posts.
Prior to Franklin, only Tony Lockett (1,360), Gordon Coventry (1,299), Jason Dunstall (1,254), Doug Wade (1,057) and Gary Ablett senior (1,031) had reached that summit.
The wild images astonished commentators, with Channel Seven’s James Brayshaw commenting, ‘I’ve never seen scenes like that at a sporting event anywhere.’
‘Surreal. It was an amazing moment, it really was,’ Franklin said after he finally made it off the ground.
‘A lot of hard work to get there. I’ve been playing for 18 years. A lot of hard work to get there but I wouldn’t be able to get there with out having great teammates around me to provide those assists.
‘It’s something I’ll cherish forever.’
The huge throng of fans was so large and packed so tight it took police and security several minutes to reach Franklin, who was eventually hustled off the ground and down the tunnel
Asked if he was freaked out by the crowd, Franklin replied, ‘No, I had the taste of Carlton Draught in my mouth from someone.’
It took several minutes for police and security to reach Franklin, who eventually made it over the fence, where he was greeted by elated teammates and taken down the tunnel as his fellow players high-fived him.
Play had to be stopped for 33 minutes in order to clear the crowd from the field.
Franklin had four goals left to reach the mark after the round one game against GWS, and he notched major 997 on the stroke of quarter time against Geelong.
He kicked goal 998 in the 18th minute of the third quarter, with his 999th coming 10 minutes later, before he was taken off for a short breather eight minutes into the final term.
Buddy salutes the crowd. It took 33 minutes to clear them off the SCG so play could resume, with the Swans running out 30-point winners over Geelong
A security guard stops an overexcited fan from trying to shimmy up one of the goalposts in the middle of all the mayhem
The biggest goal of his life was recorded not long after he returned to the field.
The 35-year-old has been a consistently prolific goalscorer ever since he made his AFL debut as a 17-year-old.
Now in his 18th year in professional football, Franklin has led his clubs’ goal charts in 12 separate seasons – six times for Hawthorn and six times for the Swans.
In half of his 16 completed seasons he’s kicked over 50 goals and he kicked a mammoth 113 goals in the 2008 season.
He’s booted nine goals on three separate occasions and has passed the double-digit mark in a single game twice, with his personal best coming when he kicked 13 against North Melbourne in 2013.
Franklin’s off days have been few and far between. An eight-time All Australian, including once as captain, Franklin is a four-time Coleman medallist and won the premiership twice, once with the Hawks and once with Sydney.
His longevity has been almost as remarkable as his goalscoring record. Aside from missing the 2020 season through injury, the Western Australia native has never played fewer than 10 games in a season.
Despite the cascade of individual accolades, opponents have often hailed Franklin as the ultimate team player.
An ecstatic Franklin celebrates with teammates as the first wave of the crowd is just about to wash over him just seconds after he kicked his fourth goal against Geelong
‘The thing you don’t notice or doesn’t get talked about with Buddy is how good a teammate he is,’ Port’s fullback Tom Jonas said.
‘He is always bringing his other forwards into it. He’s really supportive of them […] brings them into the game, communicates really strongly with them.
‘He is not just a one-man band.’
Jonas has lined up against Franklin several times and admits he was taken aback by the Swans star’s presence.
‘You’re always pretty nervous,’ he said.
The mark before the storm: Franklin clutches the ball seconds before reaching the milestone
Franklin is a four-time Coleman medallist and won two premierships with Hawthorn
‘He cuts a serious figure. He has got an aura and a presence around him on the field […] he has that strut and the chest puffed out.’
The feelings are echoed by Richmond defender Dylan Grimes.
‘He has got the full package of ability,’ he said. ‘He’s the hardest player I have ever played on because he’s got that speed, endurance and is an amazing finisher.
‘He doesn’t need much of a chance to really damage a game, he’ll take it every time.’
Franklin salutes the crowd as he leaves the SCG after an incredible night
‘He is almost impossible to plan for,’ Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley told AAP.
‘He has got such a kit, the bag of stuff that he can do and draw on is so big and so wide and so exciting.
‘You sit there trying to control and do your absolute best, but knowing the talent […] is very, very hard to stop.
‘You hope he has an off day because his on days are unstoppable […] just too good.’
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