THE LANCE Franklin show well and truly arrived in Sydney on Wednesday night, with unprecedented numbers flocking to watch the superstar in a Swans intra-club match at Lakeside Oval.
In his new club's final hit-out before its NAB Challenge campaign begins next week, a crowd of up to 1000 fans flocked to the ground opposite the SCG to watch Franklin make his competitive bow.
An occasion that would usually attract a handful of die-hard fans and the odd autograph hunter was transformed into a full-on event, complete with sausage sizzle, a membership drive and an appearance by club mascot Cyggy.
The line-ups were evenly matched, with Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh and Sam Reid among the talent on oneside and Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery and Nick Malceski bolstering the other.
As expected Franklin started the match lining up on Richards, but it was the younger Xavier rather than Ted, Buddy's infamous foe from the Swans' 2012 Grand Final victory over Hawthorn.
He was initially part of a forward line that boasted Reid, Mike Pyke, Gary Rohan and Brandon Jack, with other forward options Adam Goodes and Kurt Tippett sitting out the match nursing knee injuries.
Playing predominantly deep with the occasional journey up the ground, Franklin failed to kick a goal from six attempts, but he laid some tackles and moved well before fading in the second half.
Afterwards Franklin was satisfied with his hit-out, while acknowledging he needs more game time to recapture top form.
"It was good. It was a good hit-out and I ended up playing nearly four quarters," Franklin told reporters.
"It's just good to get out there amongst the boys and fingers crossed I can play next week.
"I want to get a couple more games under my belt and get that consistency which I know I can get to, but I'm still probably a couple of games away from full fitness."
His coach John Longmire was also pleased with the performance of his big name recruit, apart from his wayward kicking.
"He certainly got plenty of the ball, which was good," Longmire said.
"It's his first competitive hit-out for the year, but he played 62 minutes, got plenty of the footy and if he kicked straight he would've kicked a few."
Over the course of a spirited contest, Franklin also had youngster Aliir Aliir, Dane Rampe and finally Ted Richards for company at different times.
The biggest cheer of the day actually came when Kieren Jack launched himself at Franklin, forcing the ball loose in an impressive second-half hit that drew plenty of admiration from the crowd.
"It was a big tackle," Franklin said with a laugh. "It was a rugby tackle, he's got that background, but it was a good hit."
Franklin's first real involvement came courtesy of a free kick well outside the forward 50m arc and his trademark left-foot shot drifted to the right, where it was rebounded by the opposition.
Moments later he beat Richards to a loose ball and his attempted shot off the deck dribbled across the face of goal.
He then earned another free kick – and a rousing reception from the crowd – for pinning Dan Hannebery in a tackle, his third shot from tight on the boundary only managing a point.
Late in the opening term he found himself completely unmarked in a vacant forward line, taking the mark and hitting Rohan lace out in an indication of the speed available in the Swans' attack.
Franklin found less of the ball in the second term and understandably lacked some conditioning due to his limited pre-season, but overall it was a satisfactory first display in his new colours.
Brandon Jack was a standout in the clash, with Craig Bird, Heath Grundy, Toby Nankervis, Dane Rampe, Harry Cunningham and Dean Towers all showing good signs.
Reid and Lewis Roberts-Thomson split time at either ends of the ground in an indication of the type of roles they are likely to face in 2014 and got through unscathed after injury-plagued campaigns last year.
Lewis Jetta then entered the fray in the final term as some formerly injured Swans ramped up their preparations for the coming season.
Longmire was also stunned by the turnout, which he felt was the biggest over his long association with the Swans.
"I've been here for a long time and haven't seen something like this," he said.
"We thought it'd be a good thing to have something at night and what a great turnout.
"Obviously Franklin's first game there was some interest in that and it was great to see."
