Buddy Franklin fires as Swans stay top of AFL pile

A perfect start to the season, a big crowd on a Thursday night and Buddy Franklin back in the forward 50 after a week off was always going to generate some excitement at the SCG – but when the immortal forward clunked a contested mark with less than three minutes to go and kicked his third major of the night and 950th of his career — a roar reverberated around the famous old SCG like the great Swans days of old.

Those cheers would turn to jitters for the final 90 seconds when Cale Hooker responded with his third to cut the margin back to two points but Sydney and their bevy of young guns would hold on by a margin of three in the end in a classic encounter to go to the top of the AFL ladder.

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It was a cruel finale for a Bombers side who lost no admirers on the evening and continued to show strong signs of improvement for their success starved fans.

The Sydney Swans have kept their perfect start to the season intact with a three point win over an impressive Bombers outfit that were unlucky to leave Sydney without a win.

A non-call of holding the ball on Swans ruckman Tom Hickey in the dying stages only added to their frustrations in a contest that provided them far more positives than negatives.

“Proud of the group is certainly the way I’m feeling, we’re certainly disappointed and the players are shattered about the result. Off a short break it’s character building for the group but disappointed on the result,” said Bombers coach Ben Rutten.

Sydney’s win was soured, however, with a broken hand to star forward Isaac Heeney which led to him being replaced by medical sub James Bell in the second quarter and is set to sideline him for an extended period.

It’s a hammer blow for the Swans after the dynamic 24 year old was restricted to just six games last year following ankle surgery.

“It’s just terrible luck for him. He’s worked so hard to come back from his ankle and now he’s got a crack in his hand. Three weeks, four weeks but that’s early, I’m not sure of the official diagnosis,” Sydney coach John Longmire said.

It was an enthralling, seesawing contest where the margin failed to extend beyond 10 points from late in the second quarter.

Before that the Bombers managed to jump the Swans and silence the SCG momentarily, mainly due to Jake Stringer’s influence in the forward 50 early and Zac Merrett’s class in the midfield.

First Crack have a look at a possible missed holding the ball call by Swans star Tom Hickey.

But the Swans’ response before halftime was rapid with Callum Mills and Chad Warner starring while Errol Gulden showed remarkable composure in just his fourth game to spark Sydney when they were down.

His raking pass for an open Franklin to goal late in the second term put an exclamation mark on a Swans comeback after they hit the front having trailed by 25 points earlier on in the quarter. Nick Hind’s claims as one of the recruits of the season were only strengthened in this one as he sacrificed some of his usual dash off half back early for a lockdown job on the dangerous Tom Papley which he executed with aplomb before hurting the Swans the other way in the second half. Papley finished the game with just one goal and 12 disposals.

Darcy Parish’s kicking has been questioned by some of the Bombers faithful but in line with his improved form early in the season, he drilled a goal of the round contender from tight on the boundary line in the second quarter to put the Dons 25 points up. It was struck perfectly with a bit of left to right fade that would have looked very tidy off the tee at Augusta this weekend.

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