John Longmire says Sydney’s final hopes will never be put ahead of Lance Franklin’s fitness

Lance Franklin shapes as a key to Sydney’s unlikely top eight charge, but John Longmire has no plans to put the team’s finals hopes above the forward’s fitness.

Lance Franklin of the Swans celebrates a goal.

Lance Franklin’s longevity has been well and truly put to the test in 2023, but his starring hand against Fremantle shows the superstar forward has plenty more to give.

Franklin wound back the clock in the win over the Dockers to produce one of his best performances of the year. He kicked three goals to go along with six marks and two goal assists.

Despite suffering a knock to his knee early in the clash, Franklin played out the game and was already back on the training paddock on Tuesday in a positive sign for the Swans.

“He recovered from that pretty well and actually trained today, and trained pretty well,” John Longmire said. “That’s always a good sign.

“It’s always going to be a week-to-week proposition for him. How he’s feeling really dictates (if he will play).”

A juggling mark in the third quarter was one of a number of highlights for Lance Franklin. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

However, as the footy world prepares to farewell Franklin in what looms as his final season, Longmire said that sentiment and the high stakes of finals footy wouldn’t influence his selection decisions.

The Swans are just one win outside the eight, but with a tough run home, would likely need to win at least four of their five remaining matches to play finals.

Franklin could be set to play a big role in that charge, but only if his body allows it.

“If he’s too sore to play or he’s struggling to get across the ground, he won’t play, no matter what’s on the line,” Longmire said.

“That would be a bit unfair on him.

“Hopefully the depth in our tall key-position forwards is a bit better than what it was in the first half of the year, so we’ll make that decision week to week.

“If he’s feeling good and fresh going into games, which he has the last few weeks, that’s a good sign for me.”

Lance Franklin shook off a sore knee to finish the game against Fremantle. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Franklin’s influence has been an important one as the Swans attempt to keep their season alive. The victory against the Dockers was just the third time they’ve put together back-to-back wins in 2023.

Yet Longmire stopped short of giving any further endorsement of the 36-year-old playing on for another year.

“At 36 … he’s very much session by session and sees how it feels,” he said.

“If you asked him probably a month ago, he was pretty sore, he was really struggling to get up just from session to session.

“The most important thing for him now is just to see how he feels for today, train well and see if he pulls up.”

Longmire’s immediate focus is on a tough road trip to Melbourne to take on Essendon. The Bombers sit directly above the Swans on the ladder and a win would get them a step closer to an unlikely finals berth.

The 36-year-old will have a big role to play if the Swans are to make finals. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

“We feel like there’s been some more synergy come back in the team with some players coming back,” Longmire said.

“We’ve had some important times in games we’ve been able to swing momentum back our way and that’s been pleasing too.

“We’re getting better at different things but now we’ve got to put the foot down.

“(Essendon) have got a new coach and we’ve noticed some changes in their style, and they’ve got some very good players.

“I think everyone agrees they’ve had a pretty good year up until this point. So, we get them on the home deck, and we’ll see how we go.”

Originally published as John Longmire says Sydney’s final hopes will never be put ahead of Lance Franklin’s fitness