Among the excitement of the new AFL season is the eager anticipation of witnessing one of the greatest players in the history of the game join the elusive 1,000-goal club. And it's not just fans who are on the edge of their seats.
With Sydney's Lance Franklin sitting on 995 majors ahead of Round 1, here's what some of the league's captains shared with ESPN about his career as he charges towards one of footy's rarest achievements.
What are your immediate thoughts on Buddy nearing 1,000 career goals?
Jack Ziebell: "Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous. You look at the list that have done it and they've all been back sort of from the '90s and prior to that time, and the game was completely different back then, so for him to be able to do that throughout the modern game has been an incredible effort. It's a testament to his ability to get the most out of himself as well over a long period of time and I know over the past couple of years he hasn't played a heap of footy, but in saying that he's still a handful to match up on and I know our defenders hate playing on him when he's up and going. For him to be able to achieve that this year is going to be incredible and it's probably one of the hardest things to do."
Dyson Heppell: "It would be unbelievable, wouldn't it? Just a massive achievement, he's a star of our game and I've enjoyed watching him and also playing against him. It just shows the sheer freak that he has been for the game and I think people just come to the footy to watch Buddy alone - he's brought people through the gates [and] a lot of kids have wanted to play footy because of him. It'd be tough to see it happen again in today's modern game ... who knows?"
Scott Pendlebury: "He's a player that's been highly celebrated and I still think we can celebrate him even more than we do. He's such a champion of the game and I think he's been one of the guys that's modernised our game, taking it to new levels. He's got the athletic abilities of a midfielder; he's 6'5" and can do anything on a football field, so it will be exciting to see him hit that target when it comes. It's only getting harder and harder with the way the game's being played, but you sort of think there's never going to be another player and then all of a sudden someone pops up, so who knows? Let's celebrate Buddy for being Buddy. He's still got some time in our game so let's enjoy that."
Jack Steele: "I hope he can do it in Round 1. It's just amazing to see what he's been able to achieve over his career. He's been great to watch and it'll probably never happen again."
Patrick Cripps: "He's a freak. He's been playing for that long that I remember when I was going through high school and watching him dominate. His longevity, his athleticism... he's a freak. When you play against him he's a big presence out there. He's a got a big body, he's quick, he can do it all, so it's going to be a massive achievement. If he does it first round I'd nearly rock up to the game to experience it - it'll be a pretty cool moment."
Dylan Grimes: "It's phenomenal. It's an absolute testament [to] the legacy he's left on the game and the quality of player he's been for such a long period of time. That's the other thing, Buddy has just been able to maintain such a high level of performance and being able to impact the games the way he does is phenomenal."
Do you have a favourite Buddy moment?
Ziebell: "I try and forget about the time he kicked 13 goals against us! That's one but the other one is the goal he kicked that's been replayed a thousand times, running down the wing, bouncing the ball and poor old Cale Hooker was doing his best to run him down - that's one of the great goals you'll see."
Heppell: "From what I can recall, I think he was playing Adelaide in a final and he kicked eight, [including] some absolute monsters from 60-odd to drag the Hawks over the line."
Pendlebury: "It happened against us at the MCG, he jumped over a guy in the middle of the ground and then kicked a goal from about 85 which just defied football and human logic."
Steele: "I think when he kicked 100 in a year and the whole stadium just about ran onto the field and got around him. It was awesome. That probably won't happen again so it'll be good to see everyone jump the fence and do it again when he kicks 1,000 goals."
Cripps: "Not a moment, but [those] running goals when he's running down the wing and bouncing it in second gear while people are chasing him, it's pretty impressive. Then there's a lot when he's from 70 and banging them home. He's special."
Grimes: "I was lucky. Alex Rance and Buddy Franklin would wrestle almost every time Sydney or Hawthorn played Richmond and seeing some of their duals has been terrific to watch, two greats of the game -- absolute pinnacles of their area of the field -- going at it was terrific to watch. In some ways you can't ever stop Buddy but you can try and curb his influence and I felt like Rancey did that better than most."