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In sport, some players are defined by a single moment or play. For North’s Aaron Mullett, that moment may have come on Friday night when he backed his athletic ability and had the courage to run down and tackle one of the league’s superstars.

With Lance Franklin bursting away from a stoppage in the first half of the NAB Cup match, Mullett had to make a split second decision to chase or watch yet another ‘Buddy’ highlight unfold before him.

“There was a whistle so I sort of had to stop then I saw Buddy take off,” Mullett recalled to kangaroos.com.au.

“When I started chasing him I honestly thought of Hooker from Essendon, that actually went through my mind…I didn’t want to be him.”

Mullett also known as ‘Fishy’ was referring to Cale Hooker’s unsuccessful attempt to chase Franklin down the wing in 2010 at the MCG. It resulted in one of the most incredible goals ever kicked.

Fortunately the Roo rookie ended up making the highlight reel for all the right reasons.

“He (Franklin) looked back at me and kept going and tried to take me on and change direction and I was just lucky enough to get a hand on him.”

Thankfully, the umpire quickly called ‘holding the ball’ and Mullett was rewarded for his brilliant effort.

“I probably wouldn’t be able to bring him down to the ground because he’s a big boy. I saw the highlights and I looked bloody small against him. I was just happy enough to do something which would make him have to get rid of the ball or just drop it.

“I heard the crowd get excited and it may have made me run a bit quicker. When I tackled him my adrenaline was pumping a fair bit.”

For young up-and-comers like Mullett, it’s easy to be intimidated by some of the biggest names in the game.

“You go past him and think ‘that’s Buddy Franklin’. There was one time during the game when I actually had to play on him. He’s Hawthorn’s favourite and they always try and get the ball to him. It’s pretty intimidating walking past him or having to be next to him.

“It’s just another tackle, he’s the same as everyone else; a player in the AFL. He’s obviously pretty quick and I just had to use my pace to try and get to him.

“I’m real glad I caught him and I’m glad I’m not going to be on a Foxtel advertisement chasing him during his next best goal.”

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