Plenty has been made of the Swans' winning streak in recent weeks and it was capped by Saturday night's victory over Carlton. The triumph was the home side's 12th in succession, equalling the club record set three times, the last of which came way back in 1935. The stage is now nicely set for next Saturday night's match against Hawthorn at the MCG, when a Swans list Blues coach Mick Malthouse called the best he's ever seen will have the opportunity to set a new benchmark.

 

At half-time, Lance Franklin had five touches, one mark and no score. By three quarter-time, he had 14 possessions, five marks and five goals straight. Teams appear capable of keeping tabs on Buddy for periods of time, but certainly not games. Guilty of some wayward kicking during his time at Hawthorn, Franklin is also seeing them beautifully as a Swan. He finished with 6.2 on Saturday night to take his tally to 47.32 for the year. He is also now second in the Coleman Medal race behind Jay Schulz (48), whose Port Adelaide side faces Richmond on Sunday.

 

Capable of losing to Greater Western Sydney and Melbourne, with an ability to match it toe-to-toe with Geelong and Hawthorn, Carlton's fluctuating form must be baffling for its supporters. Given long odds of ending the Swans' winning run, the Blues instead took it right up to the premiership favourites for the first half of Saturday night's game, trailing by just seven points at the main break. But it was a different story from that point on, with the Swans slamming through 10.4 to just one point in a terribly one-sided third quarter en route to a comfortable 71-point win.

 

For a team that has reeled off 12 straight wins, the Swans aren't just relying on a grizzled bunch of veterans. Sure the core of Jarrad McVeigh, Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack et al are critical, but the club has introduced three first-gamers this year – Jake Lloyd, Zak Jones and, on Saturday night, Dean Towers. An emergency a number of times this season, the versatile 24-year-old has honed his game and earned a shot at the top level. Pick 22 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, he is one of the few Swans known to have chased down Lewis Jetta at training. Starting the match on the ground, he ended the night with nine touches, but he blew the lines on his biggest moment, spraying an easy shot on goal from a Franklin handball in the third term.

 

Arriving from Collingwood on a big money deal, Dale Thomas had to overcome some injury troubles in his early days at Carlton, but it was hoped he would then gradually recapture the form that led to a premiership and an All Australian jumper during his time as a Magpie. Midway through July, it's fair to say we're still waiting. On a deal reported to be worth around $700,000 per season, the man known as Daisy has played every game, but is still searching for that old magic. Held to 14 touches and two clearances by Nick Smith on Saturday night, all fans associated with the club will be keen to start seeing a return on the investment sooner rather than later.