When Lance Franklin kicked his 1000th AFL goal at the SCG in March 2022, the celebrations stopped the nation and were covered in amazing detail – but now his wife Jesinta has revealed some amazing new details about one of footy’s most famous moments.
The former Miss Universe Australia has marked the third anniversary of the goal that made headlines around the world by showing her Instagram followers some never-before-seen images taken in the hours after Buddy scored the major against Geelong.
‘The most insane moment. Still remember it like yesterday,’ she wrote over a clip of thousands of fans swamping her husband after the goal.
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.
Jesinta Franklin has marked the third anniversary of husband Lance’s 1000th AFL goal by giving her followers and footy fans a never-before-seen glimpse into the huge occasion
The former Miss Universe Australia uploaded new pics that showed what she and her son Rocky got up to in the aftermath of the moment that stopped Australia
Franklin also included a touching message to Buddy
‘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.’
Franklin kicked his 1000th goal 18 minutes into the final term of the win over the Cats on March 25, 2022 – and what happened next was pure pandemonium.
Buddy was absolutely swamped by fans as his teammates tried to form a protective ring around him, with spectators completely overwhelming the security guards stationed around the boundary.
An aerial shot showed almost all of the playing surface completely covered by overjoyed fans, who showed no signs of returning to their seats for more than 20 minutes after the ball sailed through the posts.
Prior to Franklin, only Tony Lockett (1,360), Gordon Coventry (1,299), Jason Dunstall (1,254), Doug Wade (1,057) and Gary Ablett senior (1,031) had reached that summit.
The wild images astonished commentators, with Channel Seven’s James Brayshaw commenting, ‘I’ve never seen scenes like that at a sporting event anywhere.’
Lance Franklin is pictured surrounded by a sea of celebrating fans at the SCG almost exactly three years ago in scenes that made headlines around the world
Spectators in their thousands completely overwhelmed security guards when Franklin kicked the historic major against Geelong
‘Surreal. It was an amazing moment, it really was,’ Franklin said after he finally made it off the ground.
‘A lot of hard work to get there. I’ve been playing for 18 years. A lot of hard work to get there but I wouldn’t be able to get there with out having great teammates around me to provide those assists.
‘It’s something I’ll cherish forever.’
Asked if he was freaked out by the crowd, Franklin replied, ‘No, I had the taste of Carlton Draught in my mouth from someone.’
It took several minutes for police and security to reach Franklin, who eventually made it over the fence, where he was greeted by elated teammates and taken down the tunnel as his fellow players high-fived him.
Play had to be stopped for 33 minutes in order to clear the crowd from the field.
