- Hawthorn and Swans icon is in his second year of retirement
- His wife’s social media post showed off his new appearance
Footy icon Lance Franklin has shown off a very different look in a heartwarming photo with wife Jesinta – and AFL fans have gone wild for it.
Instead of the close-cropped hair we’ve become used to, the Hawks and Swans legend has grown his locks out and combed them back from his forehead in a style he’s never sported before.
Jesinta showed her Instagram followers the new ‘do on Wednesday in a photo showing a bearded Buddy wrapping his arms around her, along with the caption ‘Happy’ followed by smiley face, palm tree and cocktail emoji.
Several commenters left remarks like ‘Loving Buddy’s hair!’ and ‘Jealous of those luscious locks Lance is rocking’ – but others claimed Franklin might have got the new look as a result of a trip to Turkey, which has become a popular destination for men who want to get hair transplants.
A quick look back at the premiership-winner’s hair over the years will show that while Franklin has been partial to shaving his head, he has never shown any signs of developing male pattern baldness – making those claims completely baseless.
Jesinta’s post appears to hint that the couple is getting in a much-needed break after she sparked concern after sharing a heartbreaking message about the challenges of motherhood last week.
Lance Franklin is sporting a big departure from his usual hairstyle in this photo his wife Jesinta (pictured together) posted to Instagram
The new look will throw footy fans who have become used to the close-cropped ‘do Buddy has been seen with for years
The 33-year-old shared a bathroom selfie to social media which captured her looking tired and worn-out as she gazed sadly at her phone.
She sported a long-sleeved grey T-shirt and pyjama pants and looked worlds away from her usual glamorous self.
Jesinta captioned the photo with some upsetting words: ‘Easily the most sleep deprived I’ve been since the kids were newborns’.
The Gold Coast-born model then revealed she was feeling overwhelmed by all her responsibilities.
‘Kids, sickness, emergency room visits with ear infections, huge work load, early starts, kids not sleeping,’ she wrote.
‘Shout out to all the mummas showing up every day, look after yourselves. The juggle has been absolutely intense the last week,’ she continued.
The model shares daughter Tullulah, four, and son Rocky, three, with Buddy.
Prior to that, Jesinta treated footy fans to some never-before-heard details about the night Lance kicked his 1000th AFL goal at the SCG.
Some commenters on the post said it looked like Lance had gone to Turkey, which is a leading destination for men who want to get hair transplants – despite the fact the Hawks and Swans icon (pictured with Jesinta) has never shown any signs of going bald
‘The most insane moment. Still remember it like yesterday,’ she wrote over a clip of thousands of fans swamping her husband after the history-making kick in March 2022.
Jesinta then posted an image showing her pushing a pram in the middle of a completely empty SCG with the caption, ‘Leaving the ground well after midnight…. moments like these I can’t wait to tell the kids about.’
That was followed by a shot of her cradling her son Rocky in a lift, as he wore a Swans jersey with ‘DADDY’ and Franklin’s famous number 23 printed on the back.
‘Not every day was as special as the 1000 goal night, when it came to football but those moments sure did make all the harder things all worth it,’ she wrote.
‘These kids are lucky to have you as their daddy @buddy_franklin23 – we have lots of amazing stories to share with them!
‘This [photo] was taken just before 1am when we finally got home. Core memories that will last a lifetime.
‘It was exhausting taking the kids to the games but in hindsight I am sooo glad I always made the effort for them, it will be special to look back on.’
