Jesinta Franklin is finally set to reunite with her AFL star husband Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin after almost seven weeks apart.
The model, 29, and her two young children had their hopes of joining the Sydney Swans star crushed earlier this week, after it was revealed his team had relocated to Victoria while she was stuck in two-week quarantine on the Gold Coast.
But on Thursday, Jesinta told The Herald Sun she and her family were about to hop on a flight to Melbourne, where the Swans are expected to stay all season following Queensland’s Covid-19 outbreak.
Reunited! Jesinta Franklin is finally set to reunite with her AFL star husband Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin after almost seven weeks apart
‘It’s day by day and the whole thing has changed so many times, but we’re hoping to get out,’ Jesinta said, revealing their flight is due to leave on Thursday night upon completion of their 14-day quarantine.
‘It’s been tough but it’s just the reality of the world we’re living in at the moment. Not only me and what all the other Swans and GWS players’ partners have to do, but thousands of Australians,’ she added.
Jesinta spent quarantine with her daughter Tullulah, one, and son Rocky, four months, with the intention of joining the Swans and Giants in their Queensland pods.
But she, along with over 100 other WAGs and family members, faced disappointment after Queensland’s Delta outbreak and announcement of a three-day lockdown over the weekend saw the Sydney teams uprooted for a third time.
Counting down the days: On July 25, Jesinta shared this photo of her daughter Tullulah on Instagram, and captioned it: ‘Hotel quarantine day three… 11 days closer to daddy. We are going to have some amazing stories to tell Lulu and Rocky! I’m taking so many pics and videos to show them when they’re older’
Jesinta went on to say that FaceTime had been her ‘saving grace’ through quarantine, adding that Buddy had missed a couple of big milestones for their two children while he was away.
‘The kids have both grown so much, Tallulah said her first word in here and Rocky rolled for the first time, so we’re just trying to keep Bud involved in those moments as much as possible,’ she said.
Jesinta admitted she was happy they were at the ‘tail end’ of quarantine, and said seeing Buddy again was the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
She had shared a string of updates from inside hotel quarantine, counting down the days until she could reunite with her husband.
Freedom: On Monday evening, she shared a picture of her little girl reaching for the hotel door, and wrote: ‘Not long, darling girl’
On July 25, she shared a photo on Instagram of Tullulah, and captioned it: ‘Hotel quarantine day three… 11 days closer to daddy.
‘We are going to have some amazing stories to tell Lulu and Rocky! I’m taking so many pics and videos to show them when they’re older.’
And on Monday evening, she shared a picture of her little girl reaching for the hotel door, and wrote: ‘Not long, darling girl.’
While Jesinta didn’t mention any details of her flight to Melbourne, earlier in the week AFL bosses said they were prioritising jetting families over to Victoria without a further lockdown period.
Together again: While Jesinta didn’t mention any details of her flight to Melbourne, earlier in the week AFL bosses said they were prioritising jetting families over to Victoria without a further lockdown period. Pictured: Buddy Franklin with baby Rocky
On Monday, league chief executive Gillon McLachlan said: ‘We’re having good discussions with Victorian health about them reuniting with the clubs down here.
‘Those conversations are going well. There may be some obligations on that, but I’m positive.’
The aim was to transport the quarantined group from Brisbane on a chartered flight to Victoria, so they would have no contact with the Queensland community.
Swans coach John Longmire added: ‘They get out of quarantine late Thursday afternoon, so we’re relying upon the powers that be to be able to reunite.’
Hope: Swans coach John Longmire said, ‘They get out of quarantine late Thursday afternoon, so we’re relying upon the powers that be to be able to reunite.’ Pictured: the Franklins in 2018