Lance Franklin could be forgiven for giving himself a pat on the back after the Swans’ hard-fought win against Brisbane.
But he didn’t.
His praise was reserved for the midfielders – Hannebery, Parker, Kennedy and alike – who “got back to basics” to keep the ball moving forward in the slippery Gabba conditions.
Franklin finished with five goals for the game, all of which were kicked before three-quarter-time, all the while going toe-to-toe with the ever-competitive Daniel Merrett.
It was a superb performance but the star forward insisted the hard work was done by the on-ball division.
“I was lucky enough to kick a couple of goals, which was nice,” Franklin said post-match.
“In 150 games, Hanners (Daniel Hannebery) has been a super player for this football club and both him and Parks (Luke Parker) were really good when it counted most today.
“It was pretty much brought back to winning the contested ball, getting our hands dirty and getting it forward.”
Hannebery finished with 33 disposals while Parker had 29 possessions and three goals, including the match-winner with two minutes left on the clock.
The pair combined for 52 contested disposals.
Franklin’s five goals sees the 29-year-old trailing Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch by one goal in the race for the Coleman Medal after Round 6.
Franklin has kicked 23 goals so far this season, his best start to a year since 2012.