Former Sydney coach Paul Roos is backing Lance Franklin to not only return to his match-winning ways but play out the full nine years of his contract despite the superstar forward being plagued by injuries this season.
This has been the type of season the Swans would have been fearing for Franklin when they signed the game's best forward to his blockbuster nine-year deal.
Even if the superstar goalkicker returns for the final three rounds of the season, he will have managed only 12 games for 2019 – the lowest tally of his career.
Coming after last year when he was unable to train for much of the season there are sound reasons to wonder if Franklin, 32, will be able to play through to the end of 2022.
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Lance Franklin has not played since hurting his hamstring in round 14.Credit:AAP
For a man of his size playing his position, Franklin has been remarkably durable, averaging 20 games a season across his 15 years. But since his 55-game streak came to an end in 2018, he has managed just 23 of 35 games due to a combination of heel, groin and hamstring issues.
Franklin has hurt his hamstring twice, missing a combined total of eight games and putting on hold celebrations for his 300th game. He will not return for at least a further two weeks after complications related to his sciatic nerve.
Though worried by Franklin's recent injuries, Roos does not believe age is slowing down the veteran just yet due to the freedom with which he has moved when fully fit.
He returned hauls of five and four goals in the two games before his most recent injury in round 14.
"I think Lance shows when he plays he's got that great athleticism," Roos said. "The worry with age is when players slow down or look sluggish. When he plays he still looks athletic and explosive.
"I don't think it is an age thing, it's an accumulation of injuries that you are concerned with but I wouldn't be as concerned with his age because he can still produce, it's how they get him to that point."
While Carlton put their star forward Charlie Curnow on ice so he can be fit for day one of preseason, the Swans are aiming for Franklin to return for the final few rounds.
Roos said he found towards the end of his career that he waRead More – Source
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