Buddy has his ball back.
The lucky Swans fan, Alex Wheeler, who snaffled txjmtzywhe Sherrin that Lance Franklin put through the SCG uprights on Friday night for his historic 1000th goal, returned it to the superstar forward on Monday.
There was panic when the match ball went missing, including Sydney posting a desperate SOS on social media, but Wheeler said he always intended for it to be handed to Franklin.
If not, the AFL and Sydney would likely have got involved to force Wheeler to give the Sherrin back.
There was debate in the 24 hours afterwards among footy fans on what they would do if they were in his position, with most saying they would return it.
Buddy’s Sherrin was valued at about $200,000 on the open market and Wheeler said on Monday he was encouraged in some quarters to sell it but felt that “wasn’t right”.
“I want to see it back at the SCG,” he said.
Recalling the moment, Wheeler said Franklin’s 1000-goal ball struck him in the head – leaving him with “a little bruise” – as fans all around him frantically tried to grab it.
He was one of the thousands of spectators who jumped the fence to mob the man of the moment on the SCG surface and even “had a couple of handballs to myself” on the field.
Wheeler fled the ground for home soon after in a taxi before heading to the pub for a few celebratory drinks – without his temporary souvenir – but became “paranoid” and left early.
His mate, Matt King, who filmed Wheeler marking the Sherrin on the night, effectively ended the saga on Saturday when he posted on Instagram that the ball would be in Franklin’s hands this week.
The Swans offered before that for Wheeler to attend training, meet Franklin and present the Sherrin to him.
Franklin became just the sixth VFL/AFL footballer to reach the 1000-goal mark behind Tony Lockett (1360), Gordon Coventry (1299), Jason Dunstall (1254), Doug Wade (1057) and Gary Ablett Sr (1031).
The 35-year-old’s fourth and final goal sparked mayhem for about half an hour, with excitable fans storming the SCG to celebrate the special moment.
