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Lance Franklin has one hand on a fourth Coleman medal after booting 10 goals at the SCG, where Sydney warmed up for AFL finals with a crushing 81-point win over Carlton.
Franklin’s most productive game in the red and white lifted his season tally to 69 goals, also ensuring the Swans made it 14 wins from their past 16 games.
The Buddy blitz included bombs, a couple of belters from deep in the pocket and even a back-heel in the goal square.
Franklin became the 10th player in VFL/AFL history to kick 850 goals, helping Sydney prevail 21.12 (138) to 8.9 (57).
Franklin outscored the opposition and ruthlessly dominated Liam Jones on Saturday.
The 30-year-old’s bid for a fourth Coleman medal will be decided on Sunday, when Essendon young gun Joe Daniher (60 goals) and West Coast’s Josh Kennedy (64 goals) have a chance to overhaul him.
Sydney had already made history before the opening bounce, becoming the first club in VFL/AFL history to start a season with six straight losses then qualify for finals.
They climbed into the top four after belting Carlton but won’t hold onto a double chance in September unless both Port Adelaide and Richmond flounder this weekend.
Ruckmen Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair threw a major scare into the Swans’ camp on Saturday, when they limped off during the first half with ankle injuries.
Tippett and Sinclair both spent a long time in the rooms but returned to the fray late in the second quarter.
The Blues lifted in the absence of the big men, especially Matthew Kreuzer, and reduced the hosts’ lead to five points late in the second term.
The visitors’ hopes of an upset eroded after halftime, when Luke Parker, Zak Jones, Josh Kennedy and Jake Llloyd won plenty of the ball and helped Franklin put on a clinic.
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