Sydney Swans Fan Scatters Grandmother's Ashes On SCG Turf During Buddy Franklin Celebrations

A Sydney Swans fan has made headlines for scattering her grandmother's ashes on the Sydney Cricket Ground turf during the middle of celebrations for Lance 'Buddy' Franklin's 1000th AFL goal.

Spectators inside the SCG rushed onto the field to celebrate the milestone moment after Buddy became just the sixth player in AFL/VFL history to reach 1000 goals.

It made for truly memorable scenes which won't be forgotten anytime soon - especially for one die-hard Swans fan, it seems.

During the chaos unfolding on the pitch, one woman decided it would be an appropriate time to scatter her nan's ashes on the field.

In a clip posted on social media, the fan donning all red can be seen sprinkling the ashes from a bag as people rushed past either side of her.

It wasn't long before the video went viral online with some people praising the move while others questioned it.

One person tweeted: "I thought it was a beautiful moment. The oval belongs to everyone."

While the ABC's Avani Dias added: "This is so beautiful."

As one guy said: "Ahh this is a lovely story. Honouring the Nan's wishes and spreading her ashes in the centre."

But not everyone was as touched by the act as others were.

While The Code's Lachlan McKirdy tweeted: "Lovely moment but could have waited a couple of minutes when everyone had stopped running past."

As the ABC's Kyle Pollard added: "Not something I'd do to be honest but it clearly meant a lot to the family."

But it was TV presenter Tony Jones who really took issue with the gesture, slamming it while appearing on the Sunday Footy Show.

"Here's the ashes. I'm sorry, I love the spectacle but I don't like that. Time and place, people," Jones said.

"The ashes is beyond the pale. That's ridiculous... I think we all agree on that."

One bloke took to Twitter, saying: "Gross."

The woman's brother, who filmed the moment, told the ABC's Kyle Pollard about the motivations for their plan.

"Nan passed away mid-last year aged 93. She was originally a Victorian but moved to Gosford in the early 80s. She supported Footscray but once she came up here she got involved with the Gosford Tigers and that led to her becoming a passionate Swans fan," Joel Brown said.

"She always said she wanted to do a coin toss on the SCG but she never got a chance.

"And she did say from time to time that she wanted some of her ashes scattered at the SCG so this was our chance to honour that.

"It was a little bit symbolic, or a sort of consolation prize almost. It was a really emotional moment."

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry