Lance Franklin has become the fourth youngest player in AFL history to reach 900 goals.

Franklin, at 31 years and 166 days, headed into Sunday’s match against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium needing just one goal to become the ninth member of the League’s 900 Goal Club.

Only Jason Dunstall (29 years, 15 days), Tony Lockett (29 years 24 days) and Matthew Lloyd (31 years 16 days) have reached this massive milestone at a younger age.

‘Buddy’ reached 900 goals in his 284th game to sit eighth on the games list among this extraordinary group.

Lockett was quickest to 900 goals in terms of games at 184, followed by Dunstall 188, Gary Ablett Snr 220, Gordon Coventry 224, Doug Wade 226, Matthew Lloyd 258 and Jack Titus 266. Matthews took 324 games.

When Franklin joined the Swans in 2014 he had kicked 580 goals.

Wearing the red and white, he has continued at such a high level he now sits ahead of Tony Modra (588), Kelvin Templeton (593), Jonathan Brown and Stewart Loewe (594), Michael Roach (607), Brendan Fevola (623), Michael Moncrieff (629), David Neitz (631), Alastair Lynch (633), Jack Moriarty (662), Bob Pratt (681), Matthew Pavlich (700), Dick Lee (707), Nick Riewoldt (718), Harry Vallance (722), Wayne Carey and Peter Hudson (727), Bill Mohr (735), Stephen Kernahan (738), Barry Hall (746), Sav Rocca (748), Kevin Bartlett (778), Matthew Richardson (800), Bernie Quinlan (817) and Peter McKenna (874).

Franklin went past McKenna in Round 4 this season to move to ninth spot on the all-time list, and with a big finish he could pass Leigh Matthews and Matthew Lloyd before the end of the season.

The all-time top 10 goal-kickers in AFL history are:

1360 – Tony Lockett
1299 – Gordon Coventry
1254 – Jason Dunstall
1057 – Doug Wade
1030 – Gary Ablett Snr
970 – Jack Titus
926 – Matthew Lloyd
915 – Leigh Matthews
899 – Lance Franklin
874 – Peter McKenna

A comparison of the relative ages and games played at the 100-goal milestones of the top 10 goal-kickers of all-time is fascinating – although the comparison is skewed because goals in the modern era, in which Franklin has played his entire time with the Swans, are so much harder to come by. The days of really big bags appear largely gone.

Franklin’s famous and career-best 13 goals came in a game for Hawthorn in 2012 and he has topped 10 goals twice in his career. Whereas playing in a different era, the likes of Lockett (22), Dunstall (16), McKenna (13), Ablett (12) and Coventry (11) reached that milestone on several occasions.

But for the football statisticians and historians the comparison is still an interesting exercise.

Using games played as the measuring stick rather than age, Wade has been quickest among the top 10 goal-kickers all-time to 100 goals (29 games) and 200 goals (58 games).

McKenna is quickest to each of the next five big milestones: 300 goals (76 games), 400 goals (92 games), 500 goals (107 games), 600 goals (124 games) and 700 goals (141 games). And Lockett was quickest to 800 goals (165 games), 900 goals (184 games) and 1000 goals (201 games).

Among the top 10, Franklin sits 9th in games played to reach 100 goals, 7th to 200 and 300 goals, 8th to 400, 500, 600 and 700, and 9th to 800 and 900.

The wildcard in the discussion is Peter Hudson. He kicked 727 goals in 129 games and was quicker than all of the top 10 goal-kickers to each of his seven ‘00’ milestones.

Among all AFL players who played at least 50 AFL games Hudson has the highest goals-per-game average at 5.64, ahead of 98-gamer John Coleman (5.48), Lockett (4.84) Dunstall (4.66), McKenna (4.58), Bob Pratt (4.31) and Coventry (4.25).

Franklin ranks 23rd at 3.18 goals per game, while unheralded ex-South Melbourne spearhead Lindsay White, who also played at Geelong, ranks 15th at 3.80 goals per game.

The quickest 100-goal block among this group is Ablett’s 13-game charge from 600 goals to 700 goals in 1993. He kicked 14-4-12-7-3-7-10-5-11-5-5-10-8 in that time.

Lockett’s best 100-goal block was 14 games when he went from 400 goals to 500 at St Kilda in 1989-90. He kicked 8-5-5-6-6-9-12-3-5 in his last nine games of 1989, and 10-9-2-7-7 in his first five games of 1990.

Franklin’s best has been 24 games when he went from 100 goals to 200 at Hawthorn. He kicked 4-5-2-2-1-7-3 to close out the 2007 season, and then 6-4-5-6-8-1-6-6-3-5-9-1-1-5-4-3-4 in 2008.

 

By the Numbers

The tables below indicate the games each player in the top 10 goal-kickers all-time, plus Peter Hudson, had played and their age when they reached each of the 100-goal milestones. Also listed are the number of times each player kicked 7+ goals, and their full career summary.

 

Lance Franklin

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

49

20

172

200

73

21

177

300

101

22

196

400

128

24

112

500

156

25

160

600

191

27

119

700

218

28

169

800

252

30

82

900

284

31

166

 

 

 

 

Gordon Coventry

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

46

21

348

200

77

23

359

300

101

25

224

400

121

26

216

500

143

27

235

600

160

28

220

700

176

28

346

800

201

30

232

900

224

31

258

1000

239

32

252

1100

259

33

249

1200

280

34

255

 

 

 

 

Tony Lockett

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

35

19

35

200

62

20

104

300

86

21

117

400

103

23

30

500

117

24

50

600

133

25

113

700

150

26

75

800

165

27

60

900

184

29

24

1000

201

29

171

1100

219

30

148

1200

244

32

76

 

 

 

 

Doug Wade

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

29

20

285

200

58

22

243

300

92

25

195

400

115

26

236

500

137

27

220

600

155

28

198

700

180

29

260

800

199

30

259

900

226

31

306

1000

249

32

326

 

 

 

 

Jason Dunstall

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

35

22

16

200

60

23

15

300

78

23

344

400

98

24

313

500

113

25

250

600

135

26

326

700

153

27

276

800

171

28

241

900

188

29

15

1000

206

30

14

1100

233

31

278

1200

255

32

269

 

 

 

 

Jack Titus

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

41

22

92

200

81

24

101

300

120

26

127

400

143

27

133

500

164

28

152

600

194

30

87

700

226

32

56

800

247

33

62

900

266

34

75

 

 

 

 

Gary Ablett Snr

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

37

23

306

200

59

25

192

300

84

26

256

400

116

27

357

500

140

29

299

600

169

31

206

700

182

31

310

800

199

32

288

900

220

33

252

1000

238

34

265

 

 

 

 

Leigh Matthews

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

59

20

143

200

97

22

148

300

131

24

47

400

164

25

130

500

189

26

150

600

232

29

90

700

264

30

194

800

294

32

72

900

324

33

127

 

 

 

 

Matthew Lloyd

Milestone

Games

Years

Days

100

41

20

9

200

68

21

36

300

93

22

40

400

117

23

60

500

141

24

131

600

166

25

347

700

191

27

0

800

223

29

74

900

258

31

16

 

 

 

 

Peter Hudson

Milestone 

Games

Years

Days

100

24

22

96

200

40

23

66

300

55

23

192

400

71

24

149

500

88

25

115

600

102

26

42

700

124

31

175

 

 

 

 

Peter McKenna

Milestone 

Games

Years

Days

100

40

21

307

200

60

22

319

300

76

23

283

400

92

24

228

500

107

24

338

600

124

25

316

700

141

26

293

800

168

28

4

 

SEVEN OR MORE GOALS IN A GAME

 

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Total

Tony Lockett

23

16

13

7

5

7

1

 

1

1

 

74

Gordon Coventry

25

16

11

2

5

 

 

1

1

1

1

63

Jason Dunstall

15

13

14

5

5

4

 

1

 

 

1

58

Doug Wade

21

10

5

 

2

 

2

 

 

 

 

40

Gary Ablett Snr

17

10

6

5

2

2

 

3

 

 

 

45

Jack Titus

3

9

4

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19

Matthew Lloyd

11

7

3

1

1

 

1

 

 

 

 

24

Leigh Matthews

10

2

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

14

Peter McKenna

16

9

7

3

4

4

1

 

 

1

 

45

Lance Franklin

3

6

3

1

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

14

Peter McKenna

16

9

7

3

4

4

1

 

 

1

 

45

Peter Hudson

10

14

8

5

2

2

2

 

 

1

 

44

 

CAREER SUMMARY

Rank

Player

Games

Goals

Average

1

Tony Lockett

281

1360

4.84

2

Gordon Coventry

306

1299

4.25

3

Jason Dunstall

269

1254

4.66

4

Doug Wade

208

834

4.01

5

Gary Ablett Snr

242

1021

4.22

6

Jack Titus

294

970

3.30

7

Matthew Lloyd

270

926

3.43

8

Leigh Matthews

332

915

2.76

9

Lance Franklin

283

899

3.18

10

Peter McKenna

180

838

4.66

18

Peter Hudson

129

727

5.64