Buddy’s buddies a

Swans boost forward line

THE Sydney Swans forward line has had a growth spurt and Lance Franklin has found some big buddies at last.

Pundits tipping the Swans to miss the finals for the first time since 2009 have highlighted concerns over Franklin once again being left to shoulder too much responsibility in the scoring department. But the cavalry has arrived. Though Sydney is entering enemy territory tonight at Docklands, it’s the Western Bulldogs who might find they feel more like boys among men.

Franklin (199cm) remains the focal point of the Swans’ attack, but he is now being flanked by two-metre tall Callum Sinclair, the imposing Sam Reid (196cm) and towering 195cm debutantt Nick Blakey (inset right) in one of the most monstrous forward linesnes in the competition.

Bigger doesn’t necess-arily mean better in the world of AFL, but Zaine Cordy is the only starting forward in the Bulldogs line-up tonight that won’t need a stepladder, at 193cm.

Last year, Sinclair wass locked in as Sydney’s soleole ruckman and Reid missed virtu-irtually all of 2018 with injury. It left Franklin — when fit — ass the sole hulking presence up front and the Swans dynamic midfield was sometimes left with limited targets to aim at, despite the development of young guns Tom Papley and Will Hayward.

But coach John Longmire has shown his hand early and gone large, with footy insiders already salivating at the prospect of Franklin and boy-wonder Blakey in particular flourishing as one of the league’s most dominant one-two combinations.

“As a forward group we don’t want all the pressure on Bud to have to kick a winning score each week,” Blakey said.

“We really think that there’s a number of boys that can hit the scoreboard so we’re pretty keen to take some stress off him.

“We all do want to contribute and hopefully everyone can chip in.”