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AS LANCE "Buddy" Franklin lined up for a set-shot at goal, a trio of opponents scurried into position. They formed a line along Buddy's left from the man standing the mark foxing, waiting as though for the flag to drop to charge at him.
It was as if Franklin was on the right-hand point post and they didn't want him to play on and widen his angle in his shot at goal. But Franklin wasn't on the boundary line, he was 45 metres out and on no particular angle. In his case, the others know how he likes to kick the ball and that means running out on an arc on his left side to swing his boot through the ball. They wanted to deny him that arc, and upset his natural kick.
So the three players hovered in a line, call it the Buddyline, until Franklin took his first step out wide and the play-on call was given for them to run in to pressure and tackle.
It is not a new tactic but it is one seemingly being used to some effect against the AFL's most irresistible force.
Against Richmond, whether by design or coincidence, it became clear that when Franklin was shooting at goal he was doing so with Tiger players along his left-hand line. The result was that he had to run straighter in his kicking action and he converted poorly (1.7 that day). Certainly not all that inaccuracy would be ascribed to this theory but it would appear it did not hurt.
Collingwood in the next round also presented similarly, and players could regularly be seen asking the umpire how close they could get as they lined up, waiting for Franklin to step wide on his kicking arc.
It was in the final quarter of that game that Dale Thomas gave away a 50-metre penalty for stepping over the permissible mark on Franklin's left side. The use of the Buddyline is employed in some form with other left-footers but it would appear with Franklin, clubs are more vigilant about trying to set up this way to influence him, even though against Collingwood he still managed to kick 6.4. Left-footers, in particular, appear to more commonly push out wider on an arc when kicking long so that they can swing their leg through the ball. "Forward coaches, in particular, are very strong that left-footers run wider than right-footers and that you have to put up a line to pressure them - whether that's physical or mental pressure to get in their heads so they think they can't kick their natural way - but definitely clubs are doing that with Buddy," said one club insider who preferred not to be named. Michael Gleeson Real Footy Read Full Article
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