Regardless of the result on Saturday, Lance Franklin’s performance will be analysed in its every inch.
There are a number of scenarios that could occur on Saturday involving Buddy.
Big game Buddy, Swans win
If Franklin has a good game and the Swans win, it will be a massive story, and many will say he carried the Swans to the premiership.
Franklin’s multi-million dollar deal will also look like a bargain.
It would be an amazing story for Gary Rohan and Ben McGlynn also. Rohan was injured after Round 4 against North Melbourne in 2012. His recovery has been an amazing story and he is a fan favourite. McGlynn missed out on the grand final after injuring himself against Adelaide.
Big game Buddy, Swans lose
If Franklin has a good game and the Swans lose, people will be left wondering.
This would be a very interesting scenario, as it would have meant the Hawks were likely to outscore the Swans with a pack of dynamo forwards.
Franklin will be celebrated and the pressure would be off him. Questions would be raised about the rest of the Swans if Franklin can dominate and they still lose.
In no game this season has Franklin dominated but the Swans have lost. Round 18 was the closest, with Franklin recording 3.5, although his accuracy could have changed the game.
The Hawks, underdogs, would be celebrated as triumphing over the Swans juggernaut. They will have contained most of the Swans forwards, with only Franklin getting off the chain.
Missing Buddy, Swans win
If Franklin goes missing and the Swans win, it will be an intriguing prospect. Franklin bows to pressure, but his teammates remain ever strong.
The Swans will have won the premiership without the need for Franklin in the biggest game of the year.
The Swans will celebrate proudly but Franklin will wonder what went wrong. If his team can go so well, how can he miss out on the feed from the midfield?
In this hypothetical, McGlynn and Kurt Tippett probably have a big day, with assistance from Adam Goodes and Luke Parker.
Missing Buddy, Hawks win
The disaster story. This would look really bad for the Swans and they would cop enormous criticism. Franklin will be the headline – ‘Buddy hell’ and so on.
This is the most likely result in the event the Hawks win.
The story would be huge and the Swans will need to look at themselves if they perform poorly. Although it could be like 2012, where the loser performed admirably, leaving us on edge until the end.
The Swans would cringe at this prospect. The will be questions. But truly, if Franklin has a poor game it shouldn’t mean that he cops all the criticism, unless it truly is his left foot with 2.9 or similar.
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