The football community have come out in force to defend Lance Franklin after the Swans great was relentlessly booed by the MCG crowd on Sunday.

Franklin, who's likely to be in the final string of matches of his 19-year-career, received the harsh treatment from rival fans with each touch of the football against Collingwood.

It's a continuation of a reemerging theme in 2023.

Port Adelaide recruit Jason Horne-Francis has been subjected to jeers from a number of fan groups across the first eight weeks of the season.

Following his side's loss to Collingwood, Swans coach John Longmire asked the salient question in defence of Franklin.

"Why'd they boo him? (You would) probably celebrate a 36-year-old, wouldn't you, that's been a champion of the game?" Longmire said.

"It's been 10 years since we've played Collingwood here. Why would you boo one of the champions of the game? It doesn't make sense."

Collingwood coach Craig McCrae left a simple message.

"We just don't boo," he said.

Both coaches denied hearing the booing throughout the match.

The scenes were eerily reminiscent of the final years of fellow Swans champion Adam Goodes' career - forced to unceremoniously exit the game after receiving an extended period of similar treatment.

Ironically, the booing of Goodes began after the dual-Brownlow medallist took a stance against racist comments from a young Collingwood fan during 2013's Indigenous Round.

The fan was later ejected from the game, though the incident sparked a years-long battle with crowd's targeting Goodes.

In 2015, his final year, Goodes made a powerful statement by celebrating a goal with a war dance at the SCG, again during Indigenous round.

In 2021 AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder called the league's failure to support Goodes "a stain on our game".

The similarities on Sunday sparked a raft of support for Franklin, though they fell short of labelling the display racist.

ABC commentator Brett Spriggs told the Collingwood fans responsible within the 71,000 in attendance to "have a word with yourself", while Seven's Nick McCallum called it "brainless" behaviour.

I often think of Goodes and how we watched the final year of one of the greatest players ever be destroyed by feral fans. He was booed until his final kick. For Collingwood fans to do this to Buddy is just so gross. It's been almost a decade. Change. https://t.co/gGfpQGXglx

— Imo (@imogenrq) May 7, 2023

At one of his last MCG games some Collingwood fans inexplicably boo-ed Buddy Franklin. Hopefully in years to come they'll realise how lucky they were to see this legend play..their kids, grandkids will want to hear all about it .Then they'll realise how brainless they were today. — NickMcCallum7 (@NickMcCallum7) May 7, 2023

Former Collingwood captain Tony Shaw called the reception towards Franklin "boring" amongst a subtle defence for Magpies fans.

'I find booing boring," Shaw tweeted.

"Booing Buddy by pies supporters I think was based on booing a champion because he was playing against our club. I found it boring and embarrassing."