Is four the magic AFL number for Buddy?

Even though Lance Franklin is the man most likely to do the extraordinary in Saturday’s grand final, co-captain Jarrad McVeigh insists Sydney don’t expect any more than what he produces on a regular basis.

Perhaps four could be the magic goal number for Franklin at the MCG, as the Swans have not lost a single game this season when he has kicked more than three majors.

“All we can ask him is to just do what he normally does,” McVeigh said on Thursday before the Swans departed for Melbourne.

“Play his role, defend when you’ve got to defend and when you get your chance, take your chance.

“… bring your A game that you are good at, but that’s all you have to do.

“You don’t have to go out and kick five or six, or get 40 touches.

“It’s just about doing team things for your mate.”

In his previous two match against his former team this year, Franklin’s radar has gone awry, kicking 2.7 in a home win and 3.5 in an away loss.

Hawthorn slammed on seven goals in a match-turning third quarter in Melbourne and McVeigh warned the Swans had to limit the damage when the Hawks generated momentum on Saturday.

“You can’t afford to let a team like the Hawks get five or six in a row,” McVeigh said.

“You’ve got to limit that to one or two, and try and get one back yourself.”

McVeigh wasn’t about to make any Hawk-baiting declarations when asked if the Swans had timed their flag run to perfection following last week’s impressive drubbing of North Melbourne.

“The two home finals we played, we built really well in those games and I think last week was a really solid performance,” McVeigh said.

“We know it goes up another level. We have to get better to win this game, but our preparations have been great and the players are in good condition.”

The decider pits the defending champions (Hawthorn) against the minor premiers (Sydney) in a repeat of the 2012 grand final which the Swans won by 10 points.

“A third grand final in a row, Hawthorn are an unbelievable team … they’ve been up for so long,” McVeigh said.

“We highly respect these guys and the way they go about it.

“It’s going to be a huge task. It’s always won in the midfield I think.

“Both teams have really good midfields, and that hard contested footy type of game is what you’re going to see in the grand final.”

Just as Sydney have other weapons in their armoury apart from Franklin, McVeigh stressed the Hawks also boasted plenty of other dangers beyond spearhead Jarryd Roughead.

“Guys like (Isaac) Smith and (Brad) Hill on the outside, we know how dangerous they can be,’ McVeigh said.

“The likes of (Sam) Mitchell and (Luke) Hodge feeding it out too, those guys are so skilled and composed with the ball.

“(Shaun) Burgoyne, who is one of my favourite players he always steps up at the right moment to kick a goal or make a big tackle.

“They are the types of guys we’ve got to really worry about.”

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!