'How is that possible': Buddy Franklin's 'special' moment that stunned teammates

Isaac Heeney could barely name another AFL club when he started at the Swans.

Next thing he knew he was a forward line teammate to one of the game's greats.

In the five years since, he's had the best view in the house for some extraordinary Lance Franklin moments.

Isaac Heeney for PlayersVoice

For someone who grew up around rugby league and had very little interest in AFL, it was pretty surreal to find myself playing for the Sydney Swans alongside one of the greatest players the game has seen.

I was shell-shocked when I began training with Buddy Franklin as part of the forwards group. I’m a shy person as it is, but Buddy brought that out in me even more. I could barely speak a word to him at first!

I remember my early days training with the seniors and pretty much all I could think was ‘whenever you get the ball, just look for Bud’.

He took me under his wing, which was amazing, but I was kind of fixed on this idea that, if I delivered the ball well to him, I’d be doing my job, it would earn me respect from my teammates – and Buddy might actually like me, as well!

We all knew what he was capable of on the field – even I knew it by then – but, at the same time, we didn’t want to be running everything through him. It would be too predictable.

I guess what I came to understand after a little while was that, once you’re on the Swans list, you’re really just another player who’s got a particular job to do within the team. It was like that for me and it was like that for Buddy, too.

Having said that, there have been many times when I’ve felt so privileged to be out on the ground with him, to have an amazing view of some of the awesome things he does for our side.

Against Port Adelaide, I think the year before last, when he snapped a goal from about 60 metres, I just remember standing out there on the ground, thinking, ‘That is unbelievable. How is that possible?’

Then there was the time he ran basically the length of the field against the Crows with Daniel Talia chasing him and kicked that incredible goal that had everyone talking.

Those are the kind of moments when you realise how special a player he is and how fortunate you are to be playing alongside him.