HAWTHORN president Andrew Newbold doesn't think it would be wise for fans in the brown and gold to boo 'Buddy' Franklin on Saturday. 

He suspects that giving any cheek to the former Hawk star will only motivate him to play better. 


Franklin kicked 580 goals and played in two premierships for the Hawks before moving to the Sydney Swans as a free agent at the end of last season. 

He has kicked 75 goals in 21 games with the Swans and finished equal-second in Monday night's Brownlow Medal count.

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"I'm sure knowing 'Buddy' as we do, we don't want to fire him up so I think we just leave him alone," Newbold said. 

The president said Hawthorn supporters should just enjoy the experience.

Newbold also played down his influence on selection, after he said he thought Cyril Rioli could provide an X-factor on Saturday and said he was confident the match committee would make the right call on selection.

"I don't play any part in selection. We play blokes a lot of money to do that and we'll back the decision," Newbold said.

Legendary Hawk Leigh Matthews was keener to play up the hype around Franklin's third appearance against his former club.

"It's fantastic theatre, the fact that Franklin was part of the Hawthorn premiership last year, he swapped clubs and he happens to playing against Hawthorn in this year's premiership (decider)," Matthews said on Wednesday.

"So it's unbelievable theatre. I can never remember a time when the interest in one individual because of that scenario has ever been more than the spotlight which has been on Franklin."

Not since 1925 has anyone won successive VFL/AFL grand finals with different clubs.

Franklin's record of 5.12 in two games against the Hawks may give his former club some hope according to Matthews.

"As we know, very rarely does he not have half a dozen shots at goal," Matthews said.

"So from a Hawthorn point of view you've got to hope he kicks 1.5, because he does that every now and then as well.

"In the last couple of games against Hawthorn he has missed a bit."