AFL

Franklin shrugs off sling to play

AFTER spending a big part of his pre-season with his left arm in a sling, Lance Franklin is ready to spread his wings in Friday night’s JLT series match against Greater Western Sydney in Sydney.

The superstar forward is fully recovered from a shoulder reconstruction and will make his first appearance since Sydney’s Grand Final loss to the Western Bulldogs.

“Buddy will play,” Swans assistant coach Henry Playfair said. “He’s done the majority of [pre-season] sessions. He’s just had to be careful and so have the guys around him not to injure his shoulder, but he’s been back in contact for a couple of weeks and ready to go.”

Playfair will temporarily take over the senior coaching role from John Longmire for Friday night’s match. He says Franklin has not missed a beat since successful pre-Christmas surgery on his shoulder

“He’s been on board [with the program] since day one and has ticked every box along the journey,” he said. “It’s been pretty seamless up to this point and he’s got one more training session to get through and we’ll see him out there. We’ll get through this one then make the call on whether he plays the last game.”

The Swans will also be boosted by the return of AllAustralian defender Dane Rampe, former co-captain Kieren Jack and Grand Final ruckman Sam Naismith.

Friday night’s match at Blacktown will be the first meeting with the Giants since the fiery clash in the qualifying final at ANZ Stadium.