The Sydney Swans have labelled the booing of champion AFL player, Lance Franklin, by Collingwood fans over the weekend as “offensive”, while expressing concern that history may be repeating itself.
Franklin, a likely Australian football Hall Of Fame legend, had a goalless game as the Magpies kicked clear in the last term on Sunday to beat Sydney by 29 points at the MCG.
But the treatment of him by some sections of the Collingwood support, who decided Franklin was their villain for the afternoon, ensured headlines on Monday morning were not about the result.
Collingwood issued an apology on Monday afternoon and called on the club’s fans to show more respect to Franklin, while a Sydney statement alluded to similarities in the treatment of another of its greatest players, Adam Goodes, who was mercilessly booed out of the game in 2015.
“The Sydney Swans are extremely disappointed by the repeated booing of Lance Franklin in Sunday’s match at the MCG,” the Swans statement read. “Lance is a champion and his contribution to the AFL should be celebrated and respected.
“Fans are the lifeblood of our game and have the right to cheer loudly at the football. But booing isn’t a right – it’s offensive – and players should not be subjected to it in their workplace.
“We have been here before and sadly it seems some people have not learned from the past.”
The club called on fans who witness any poor behaviour at matches, including repeated booing, to call it out immediately.
Coaches of both clubs were initially baffled as to why Franklin would be targeted with boos.
“I don’t know why they would – why were they booing him?” Swans coach John Longmire said post-match. “You’d probably celebrate a 36-year-old, wouldn’t you, who’s been a champion of the game? It’s been 10 years since we’ve played Collingwood here ... it doesn’t make sense.”
Pies coach Craig McRae put it succinctly: “We just don’t boo.”
Collingwood released a club statement on behalf of McRae, captain Darcy Moore and CEO Craig Kelly on Monday to denounce the fans’ behaviour.
“The club does not support booing champions of the game,” the statement read. “Yesterday was the first time we played the Swans at the MCG in a decade – it provided an opportunity to respect a champion of the game and we fell short.”
The statement said that Franklin, a “great of Australian football”, deserved a high level of respect.
“We hope the next time we get the chance to witness a champion of the game we treat them with respect, the same respect we ask for when it comes to our players and our champions.
“When our club has the opportunity, we stand side-by-side with the greats of our game.”
Collingwood fans were the first to boo Port Adelaide young gun Jason Horne-Francis earlier this season and it became a weekly occurrence, eventually prompting a heated response from Power coach Ken Hinkley.
A career-best five goals from Brody Mihocek, including a spectacular mid-air soccer strike in the last quarter, plus an outstanding captain’s game from Moore and Jack Ginnivan’s second-half cameo, highlighted the Magpies’ win.
The win keeps the Magpies at the top of the ladder, while the Swans have lost three in a row and are struggling with a 3-5 record.
