 On 1 October 2013, after months of speculation dating back to before the start of the season, Greater Western Sydney shocked the football public by announcing that it had withdrawn its offer of $1.2 million per year for six years, saying that the club was of the belief that Franklin was set to sign with the Sydney Swans.The Sydney Swans' chairman, Andrew Ireland, said later that day that the contract offered to Franklin was a nine-year deal worth $10 million, and that Franklin's management first approached Sydney about the move shortly after the 2012 AFL Grand Final, when Franklin played in a losing side against the Swans.The next day, Franklin said that he did not make his decision to move to Sydney "until the last minute".