A hobbled Lance Franklin has helped march Sydney into week two of the AFL finals, kicking four goals in a 65-point shellacking of Essendon at the SCG.
Franklin’s right thigh was badly corked during Saturday’s opening quarter but it failed to curtail his incredible run of dominance against the Bombers.
The Swans busted the elimination final open with 10 goals during the second term, four of which were booted by Buddy after he spent quarter-time on an exercise bike.
From that point, Sydney’s passage into the semi-final against Geelong on Friday at the MCG was never in doubt.
Franklin was put on ice for the final term as the hosts triumphed 19.7 (121) to 8.8 (56). Their pressure was as impressive as their polish – at both ends of the ground.
Josh Kennedy, the skipper who willed his side to a history-making finals berth after their 0-6 start to the year, was again one of the Swans’ best.
Fellow big-bodied midfielder Luke Parker was also inspirational in the engine room during his 150th game, while the bold selection call to pick Callum Sinclair ahead of Kurt Tippett proved a masterstroke.
Sinclair kicked three goals and clutched a game-high four contested marks as part of a potent supporting cast that helped Franklin make a mockery of the Bombers again.
Patrick Ambrose and Michael Hurley shared the burden of manning up Franklin, whose imposing record against Essendon stands at 68 goals from 15 matches.
The Bombers held the superstar goalless during this year’s round-14 epic between the sides.
Franklin, who became the first man since Tony Lockett to earn a fourth Coleman medal with a 10-goal haul in the last regular-season round, started the second-quarter onslaught with three goals in five minutes.
He was quiet outside a stellar second term but the Swans had far too many options in their forward line.
Joe Daniher started a few spotfires and kickstarted the game with a screamer and the first of his three goals, but the visitors’ hopes of an upset were ruined as they frequently fumbled and turned the ball over during the Swans’ surge.
