This Buddy's our worst enemy

HE is the AFL's most dynamic player who threatens to win the AFL preliminary final off his own boot.

Lance Franklin

HE is the AFL's most dynamic player who threatens to win the AFL preliminary final off his own boot.

If the Crows cannot curb the influence of Hawthorn's champion goalkicker Lance "Buddy" Franklin at the MCG tomorrow their chances of a first grand final appearance in 14 years will all but disappear.

But how do you stop him? Can one man do the job or will it take a complete team effort?

Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson says it's the latter.

"It's a team effort," said Sanderson, who stressed he has his own "dangerous weapon" at the other end of the ground in Taylor Walker.

"We can only put one player on him, you can't put two players on him because you leave another player free.

"We're going to have to rely on defensive pressure up the ground and ensure there's pressure on the ball coming into him.

"If we give Hawthorn time and space then whoever plays on Buddy is going to have a long night because the ball will just be put where he wants it."

Heat maps complied by the AFL's official statistician, Champion Data, have highlighted just where that is.

Long-kicking left-footer Franklin - who has kicked 59 goals in 17 games in an injury-interrupted season - creates most of his damage running to the left forward pocket.

Amazingly, he is averaging 11.1 score involvements a game, 6.9 scoring shots, 3.7 goals, 18 disposals and 3.6 inside-50 marks - all elite for a forward.

With 514 goals in 159 games, the 25-year-old is on track to reach the magical 1000-goal barrier in his career.

But it is tomorrow's clash which worries the Crows. They still have memories of how a 20-year-old Franklin knocked them out of the finals race at Etihad Stadium five years ago.

Now the four-times All-Australian threatens to do it again, especially with Adelaide being without two of its best three key defenders - the injured Daniel Talia and Sam Shaw.

"We will be relying on help up the ground but at the same time we need a special effort from someone this week," Sanderson noted.

That man is likely to be veteran full back Ben Rutten, who heroically kept Fremantle matchwinner Matthew Pavlich to just one goal in Adelaide's 10-point semi-final win at AAMI Stadium last Friday.

"Ben Rutten was outstanding on Pavlich but he also was so grateful for the pressure our midfielders put on the Fremantle midfielders," Sanderson said. "He'll be looking for the same this week."

Explosive on-baller Patrick Dangerfield backed Sanderson's "team focus" philosophy to stop Buddy in his tracks.

"I think it is a team thing," Dangerfield said.

"The same questions were asked last week about how we were going to stop Pav. He was on the front page of the paper basically every day and Ben Rutten took care of him and did a terrific job.

"Once again the defenders will have to work together to stop him.

"Brent Reilly will be another one who will be super important for us on the weekend.

"But at the same time I think they (the Hawks) will be thinking how are they going to stop Taylor Walker?"

Reilly's role and performance at the MCG tomorrow will be crucial.

Unlucky to miss All-Australian selection, the 28-year-old leads the AFL in intercept marks and plays a pivotal role each week for Adelaide in keeping the ball out of the opposition's best forward's hands by intercepting kicks in the defensive 50.

Reilly would have done his homework on where Franklin likes to lead and will try to cut off his supply while also being mindful of where his opponent is.

Sanderson is aware of the juggling act his team faces.

"He (Franklin) is in a class of his own but you can sometimes focus too much on stopping Buddy," he said.

"(Cyril) Rioli can kick goals, along with (Luke) Breust and (Jack) Gunston, so we've got to make sure we don't focus too much energy on just one of Hawthorn's dangerous weapons."

Sanderson backed his forward line to be just as lethal as the Hawks.

"Tex (Walker) has been great for us this year and has created such a headache for the opposition," he said.

"And if we get an even contribution from Walker, (Kurt) Tippett, (Jason) Porplyzia, (Ian) Callinan, (Graham) Johncock, (Jared) Petrenko and (Richard) Douglas, then we've got a really dangerous mix down there too."