Steven May reveals massive failed sledge from Lance Franklin before Suns beat Buddy's Swans

Mick Stirling

Steven May reveals massive failed sledge from Lance Franklin before Suns beat Buddy's Swans image

Gold Coast captain Steven May enjoyed probably the best win of his career against Sydney on Saturday, and it was made even better by a massive failed sledge from Lance Franklin.

Before the first bounce May went to Franklin to shake hands, but then kept going and lined up on Sam McCartin, leaving Buddy to Suns teammate Rory Thompson.

Franklin, never short on self confidence, took the opportunity for a dig.

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“Once I walked away from (Franklin) to McCartin, he looked at me and he said ‘Steve, are you serious, you’re going to let this bloke play on me?’” May said on ABC Grandstand post-game.

“So just classic Buddy … but I was glad that I didn’t have to play on him and even better that Rory didn’t get any goals kicked on him.”

“I tell you what, flying into Sydney against Lance Franklin, you don’t have a great night’s sleep. You don’t want to end up on ‘Seven Plays in Seven Days’ or something like that.

“But when they did say ‘Rory, you’re going to take Buddy’, there was a bit of a sigh of relief.”

The Suns stunned the Swans in the upset of the season, coming back from a 29-point deficit at quarter-time to win by 24 points, with Thompson holding Franklin to just three behinds.



It was the first time any team has held the Swans goalless for two consecutive quarters since they moved to Sydney from South Melbourne in 1982.

The result was also the biggest upset in TAB.com.au’s history (going back to 1995). Gold Coast was paying $17, a massive payout in a two-horse race.

The official AFL tipping competition run on the League’s website showed 0% of the 225,000-plus registered tipsters had gone for the Suns.

Mick Stirling