Buddy Franklin under fire as worrying issue emerges for Sydney Swans

The Sydney Swans are facing a conundrum with key forward Buddy Franklin, after the veteran goalkicker was labelled a 'liability' in their 50-point thrashing at the hands of Melbourne on Sunday. The Swans had the chance to go to the top of the AFL ladder with a win, but instead face all kinds of questions heading into their round four clash with Port Adelaide.

The Swans were handed a 21.8 (134) to 12.12 (84) lesson by the Demons at the MCG on Sunday, with Franklin well held in his return from a one-game ban by Melbourne defender Steven May. Though he kicked two goals, Franklin was unable to exert any overt pressure on the Demons' backline.

BRILLIANT: Geelong's act of 'absolute class' after unthinkable 47-year first

'NO IDEA': AFL world left fuming over 'embarrassing' medal call

Instead, he was well covered by May for much of the afternoon. His direct opponent doubled the amount of disposals he had, while May matched him for marks with six. The result was a Demons backline that was able to provide silver service to their midfield and forward line.

Six goals to one in the first quarter and seven to three in the last put the game away in relatively short order, despite the Swans hanging around in the second and third quarters. In Franklin's absence last week, the Swans scored an impressive win over Hawthorn thanks in large part to standout performances from young forwards Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey.

However with the legendary goalkicker back in the side, neither were able to repeat the impact they had against the Hawks. Former AFL star Jordan Lewis said Franklin pushing further up the ground had helped open their forward line a bit more - potentially hinting at a slightly different role for the 36-year-old in future games.

“I did think when Amartey was the deepest forward and McDonald was the deepest forward, they looked a lot stronger with Buddy further up the ground,” Lewis noted. “What that does when Amartey and McDonald are deeper, it means May and Lever are deeper as well, so they’re able to get past that transition phase and go deeper inside where they look dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Swans fans had alarm bells ringing over Franklin's less than convincing performance. It comes after he signed a one-year contract extension following their grand final defeat against Geelong last year.

Swans face Buddy Franklin dilemma after Demons demolition

Swans coach John Longmire flagged before the season began that Franklin would likely be managed throughout the season, after he had a 'restricted' pre-season. The Swans coach declared before the season that he wouldn't play every match.

"May's a star and he had four shots at goal, Bud, and I thought he competed pretty well to the end," Longmire said. Sydney have a chance to get back on track when they host Port Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday night.

While Franklin will likely be a week-to-week concern for the Swans, a more pressing matter would be their midfield performance against the Demons. The 2021 premiers ran riot on Sunday, ultimately putting a stop to any comeback efforts from the Swans.

Sydney gradually worked their way into the battle with improved pressure and contest work, and looked every chance to win when goals to the energetic Tom Papley and Errol Gulden dragged them within a kick. But Melbourne booted four of the last five goals in the third quarter and slammed on seven to three in the final term.

Worryingly for Sydney, the Demons dominated contested possession (34-16) and the tackle count (14-5) in the decisive last quarter.

"We were minus 18 in the contest in the last quarter - that doesn't help - and their tackle pressure was pretty important," Longmire said. "Sometimes you can look at different things but if you're not winning the ball and you're not tackling when they're winning it, it's not a good sign."

After brushing aside Gold Coast and Hawthorn in the opening two rounds, the Swans failed to cope with a step up in intensity against genuine premiership contenders. They conceded six of the first seven goals and though they got back within six points during the third quarter, fell away late in the game as the Demons clicked into party mode.

With AAP

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.