AFL recluse Lance Franklin will be joining the media streams and services with a brand new podcast, sitting alongside former teammate and Hawthorn premiership player Shane Crawford.
Franklin has always let his football do the talking, and with two flags, eight All-Australians, four Coleman medals and a Peter Crimmins medal, over 1000 goals and the most recent player to reach 100 majors in a season, there isn't much more to be said.
The Hawthorn and Sydney champion has always kept to himself, refraining from much media time. Until now.
Theย Buddy and Shane show will be a weekly podcast where the pair of Hawks legends will combine their extreme football nous, dissecting the matches and the state of the game, whilst adding their own personalities to the conversation.
It is also understood that the show will host current players and coaches as guests.
"It's exciting. What an opportunity to come in here and talk football," Franklin said in the series opener.
"This podcast will be about the players, pumping them up, supporting them, and also the coaches. It's a tough game."
Ironically, Crawford's media career has been booming since he retired after the 2008 premiership victory.
The Australian larrikin held a position onย Channel 9'sย The Footy Showย for 11 years, whilst appearing onย The Celebrity Apprentice, Australian Ninja Warriorย and more recently,ย Dancing with the Stars.
According to theย Herald Sun, Franklin didn't need much convincing to join Crawford on the podcast.
"I never considered a traditional media role in life post footy, but I knew I wanted to remain involved in some capacity," Franklin said.
"When Crawf approached me with the concept, I didn't need much convincing. I was pretty much all in from the word go."
Crawford went on to say that the AFL media landscape has turned players and coaches into robots, and hopefully, their space can offer a more authentic lens into the game and its participants.
"Our show aims to provide a lighthearted, fun and comfortable outlet for the game's best minds to speak their truth and talk to two people, in Bud and I, who can relate to their on and off-field experiences," Crawford said.
The first episode will be released on Tuesday (April 22, 2025), with following episodes to be released each Monday on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple and to view on YouTube.
