MELBOURNE'S football fishbowl and constant media harassment pushed Lance Franklin to the Sydney Swans, says his manager Liam Pickering.

Speaking to AFL.com.au's Gillette Trade Radio , Pickering said from the moment Franklin lost his license for speeding in July, 2012, his fate was all but sealed.

He said Franklin was under such scrutiny he could not live in his own house for two to three weeks and decided he'd had enough of living in Melbourne.

"Remember Buddy lost his license for speeding and the car crash (August, 2012, where he was uninjured) and he started to get a bit over Melbourne when he had the media propped outside his house for a week or two," Pickering said.

"At that stage it got a bit on top of him."

Pickering said the Swans were always Franklin's club of choice.



