Franklin may be fit for Swans opener

A sharp and happy Lance Franklin is a chance of playing Sydney’s AFL season opener against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, with coach John Longmire suggesting the Swans will field some new faces.

Longmire said Franklin, who had off-season groin surgery, had trained for a couple of weeks and was in good touch.

“He’s looking sharp, pulling up well,” Longmire said on Monday.

“We’re in the middle of those discussions now. We’ll see how training goes tomorrow.

“We’ll know a bit more before Thursday but we want to make sure we get all those facts in place before we make that final decision whether he plays or not, and obviously Lance has a big say in that as well.

“He’s got a track record of understanding his own body.”

“He’s not knocking on my door but every time I’ve walked past him he’s had a smile on his face, a thumbs up and (says) ‘I’m ready to go’,” Longmire said.

The premiership-winning coach revealed forward recruit Dan Menzel, who also underwent groin surgery, was tracking well but was a little behind Franklin.

Sam Reid, Lewis Melican and Callum Mills, all of who missed large chunks of last season, were ready to go according to Longmire while Isaac Heeney, who rolled an ankle in pre-season, won’t train until Thursday but should be OK for round one.

Ruckman Sam Naismith is around six weeks away from being in contention to return from his knee reconstruction.

Longmire stressed first-round draft pick and exciting young forward Nick Blakey was in the mix for the Bulldogs clash, irrespective of the fitness status of Franklin and Menzel.

He has been impressed with the way Menzel and other off season recruits Ryan Clarke and Jackson Thurlow have settled in

Some of them are likely to get a run at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, with Dan Hannebery, Gary Rohan and Nic Newman having moved to other clubs.

Sydney have regenerated their list in recent years, giving plenty of players opportunities and Longmire emphasised that process would continue.

“We’ve changed the team a lot over the last three years and will continue to change and that’s exciting for us,” he said.

“We’ll see some fresh faces again no doubt this week and going forward. We really believe in giving those boys an an opportunity to come in and add to our team.”