AFL 2022: Buddy Franklin drapes the Aboriginal flag over his shoulders after 1000th goal

AFL star Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin celebrated kicking his 1000th goal on Friday night by draping himself in the Aboriginal flag after the game.

Buddy, 35, an Indigenous man whose arms are covered in tattoos in honour of his heritage, shared pictures to Instagram of himself wearing the flag like a cape.

His sporting milestone, which happened during the Sydney Swans vs Geelong Cats clash, sparked crazy crowd celebrations on and off the field at the SCG, as well as a huge pitch invasion by thousands of fans.

The picture appears to have been taken in the SCG dressing room.

Still wearing his Swans game colours, Buddy was pictured from behind, his head slightly bowed.

Buddy’s wife, model Jesinta Franklin, shares his passion for Aboriginal issues, and has previously spoken out against Australia Day celebrations and the mistreatment of Indigenous people in custody.

The mother of two penned a column for Stellar magazine in 2020 explaining why she refused to celebrate Australia Day on January 26. 

‘I have seen my husband well up when talking about his mum [Ursula] and how she used to have to run away with her siblings when they knew the government trucks were coming to take them away from their parents,’ she wrote in reference to the Stolen Generations.

The Stolen Generations saw Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families and communities due to racist government policies.

An impressive 663,000 viewers tuned into Channel Seven’s coverage to see Buddy seal his career in Australian sporting history.

Buddy became the first player in 26 years, and the sixth overall, to reach the landmark figure when, late in the final quarter, he slotted in his fourth goal of the night from 40 metres.

He is the only player to have kicked 1,000 goals entirely in the game’s modern era, which started in 1990 when the Australian Football League was formed from Victoria’s near century-old state league.