SYDNEY remains unclear as to whether an official farewell will be held for Lance Franklin but there is continued optimism about the club's attack as they step into the post-'Buddy' era.

There is nothing planned as yet in way of a Franklin tribute for Saturday clash against Gold Coast at the SCG where the Swans will bid to win a fifth game in a row and continue their late rush for a finals spot.

That just leaves the round 24 clash with Melbourne to give the footy world a chance to say goodbye to the game's fourth highest goalkicker and for him to thank the fans at the SCG for their support over his immortal career.

While the Swans would no doubt love the chance to create fanfare around a Franklin farewell, they still require a commitment from the four-time Coleman Medallist.

"Not sure just yet, we'd love to have him back and thank him in front of all the fans but we'll see how that goes," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"I'm focused on the footy at the moment, I'll leave that to others to organise."

Saturday night's win over Greater Western Sydney was arguably the Swans' best performance of the season.

Two early goals from Joel Amartey got Sydney going while four majors from fellow key forward Hayden McLean, in an excellent personal display, went a long way to sealing the four points.

There is less predictability about the Swans' forward line without Franklin, even though they have played without him on numerous occasions.

"I think that's a natural part of it. He had a big presence in our forward line. We were keen for him to play as long as he did and nurture that next group underneath and let them mature a bit," Longmire said.

"They won't be all as consistent, we don't expect any of them to be Lance Franklin, but the more they play together the better they get."

McLean's star showing up forward reaffirmed the Swans' decision to bring Tom Hickey back as the No.1 ruck and use McLean as a pinch hitter and forward target.

That would keep Peter Ladhams on the sidelines after the 25-year-old was cleared for umpire dissent in the VFL, despite being reported for the incident during the game.

"That was a bit disappointing and unnecessary. He's got to continue to learn. We need him, he's coming back from a bad ankle injury and we need him back playing," Longmire said.

The Swans coach has also called for greater flexibility with substitutes when it comes to Head Injury Assessments for players.

Longmire feels a sub should be allowed to come on while a player is being assessed for concussion but then placed back in the sub's vest if the individual is fit to continue.

Or if a player is subbed out, he feels they should be allowed to return if a concussion occurs afterwards, which was the case on Saturday night when Jake Lloyd left the field after Logan McDonald had been removed from the game.

"We've got to be mindful to keep evolving," he said.

"If you've got a player that's already been subbed off and is healthy it doesn't make much sense that you can't bring him back. The powers that be should look at that and maybe consider that in the off-season."

The hype around Errol Gulden continues to grow after the Swans dynamo's Brett Kirk Medal performance against the Giants that included a goal of the year nomination for the second week in a row.

Only in his third year, Gulden looms as a lock for the Swans' best and fairest award and his first All-Australian blazer but Longmire isn't concerned about all the attention affecting the meteoric rise of such a young player.

"We showed vision of him in our review, not of him kicking any goals but of him working hard off the ball and playing his role, really well," he said.

"He works just as hard in defence as he does in attack and that's what makes him a really good player. He works really hard at his game, we have to kick him off the track most days. He's got a really good head on his shoulders."

The Swans will be without another young gun on Saturday though with Braeden Campbell to miss the clash with the Suns due to a one game suspension for rough conduct on Lachie Whitfield that the club has chosen not to appeal.

"We considered it long and hard, we went right up to the deadline to make that decision," Longmire said.

"There was an argument around genuine football incidents that happen in games that you can't do much about but in the end, we weighed it up and thought it wasn't worth doing."

Longmire admitted that fellow top five draft pick Dylan Stephens is likely to replace Campbell in the side after his nine-possession display as a late sub in the stirring win over the Giants.