Down but not out
Ben Horne
The Daily Telegraph, July 25
SWANS teammates are backing Lance Franklin to rebound from kicking a bagel against Gold Coast and lead Sydney out of their funk Friday night at Etihad Stadium.
Franklin went goalless in the embarrassing loss to the Suns on Saturday at the SCG, but Swans star Luke Parker said the club’s worst loss in a decade would serve as a line-in-the-sand moment ahead of the match against Essendon.
Three-time premiership forward Jonathan Brown has once again highlighted concerns that Sydney are too reliant on Franklin, although earlier in the season the Swans fought their way to several wins in his absence.
Franklin, 31, didn’t take part in the Swans’ main training session on Wednesday, instead practising handballs and staying off his feet in a smaller pack off to the side. But he doesn’t appear to be in any doubt to face the Bombers.
That’s good news for Sydney given Franklin’s extraordinary record against Essendon. He has averaged nearly five goals a game in 15 clashes against them.
Franklin has been strong without being spectacular in the Swans’ recent up-and-down patch, losing top spot in the Coleman Medal race.
But Parker senses the real Buddy will return on Friday and potentially save Sydney from dropping out of the AFL top eight with just over a month left in the season.
“You always know he’ll bounce back really well,” Parker said.
“It wasn’t like he didn’t have shots (against Gold Coast), he just didn’t finish. “He created the opportunities, which he does every week.
“(Given his record against Essendon), hopefully he kicks five goals then."
Stalling Swans need Franklin to feast on Dons
Andrew Wu
SMH, July 25
Lance Franklin looms as a potential double whammy for Essendon on Friday night as Sydney aim to produce a trademark backs-against-the-wall victory to relaunch their stalling campaign.
The superstar forward is coming off a rare goalless appearance heading into the crucial match against the Dons, against whom he has kicked more goals than any other club.
Franklin's imposing record against the Bombers reads 68 goals from 15 games at 4.53 a match, well above his career mark of 3.16. He has produced two bags of nine and one of eight, while in last year's elimination final he torched the Dons with four majors in the Swans' 10-goal second quarter.
All Australian backman Cale Hooker, who Franklin left flailing in his wake in a memorable goal in 2010, is likely to be his opponent.
The adage that good teams rarely play two bad games in a row can also be applied to players of Franklin's quality.
In the matches immediately following the last 15 games when the four-time Coleman Medal winner has been held goalless, Franklin rebounded at an average of four a match, for a total of 60 goals. Only once in his 285-game career has Franklin gone back-to-back matches without a major.
"You always know he will bounce back really well," Swans vice-captain Luke Parker said. "It wasn't [that] he didn't have shots, he just didn't finish. He created the opportunities, which he does every week."
