AFL legend Buddy Franklin to return to his WA country football club
Shayne Hope
AFL legend Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin will return to competitive football in a one-off appearance for his former local club in Western Australia’s central Wheatbelt.
Franklin, who sits fourth on the AFL/VFL all-time run-scorers list, has not played since the time of his call-up in his remarkable 354-game career at the top level in 2023.
But the 39-year-old has improved his fitness in recent months, having completed the New York City Marathon last November, and will lace up his boots with the Dowerin Tigers on April 18.
“I’ll go back out there and play a game,” Franklin said on a podcast with former Hawthorn star Shane Crawford.
“I’m really excited about this, I never thought I’d get the opportunity to play for my youth football club.
“But this opportunity came up. I’m really excited to get back out there and play.”
Franklin’s one-off appearance was designed to help raise funds for new lighting installation on Dowerin’s property, about 156 km northeast of Perth.
“It will definitely bring back a lot of memories,” Franklin said.
“Obviously I started there when I was six years old.
“This is also a donation for the town itself. We’ll raise $300,000.”
Franklin retired as one of the greatest players in football history, scoring 1,066 goals for Hawthorn and Sydney in a career that spanned 19 seasons.
He was an eight-time All-Australian and four-time Coleman Medal winner and was a key figure in the Hawks’ premiership teams in 2008 and 2013.
AAP
