What happened?

THE Swans were breathtaking and the Cats were shellshocked. 

Coming in apparently banged-up off a six-day break, the visitors were supposed to be ripe for the picking by a rested Geelong outfit. 

But in a ferocious opening to the preliminary final, the white-hot Swans jumped the Cats, booting four unanswered goals to lead by 26 points after just 12 minutes.

• Match centre: full coverage, stats and highlights

Luke Parker had just drilled his second goal and the Cats desperately needed to respond before the game slipped away for good. 

But Lance Franklin and the Swans had other ideas. 

From a centre clearance, the Swans surged the ball forward and were so single-minded they were fighting each other.

Tom Mitchell wrenched the ball from teammate Gary Rohan and threw it on his left boot with a high tumbling kick to the top of the goalsquare.

Underneath it, Buddy and his long-time nemesis Tom Lonergan grappled in a pure test of strength. 

Franklin won easily. The superstar forward simply manhandled the Cats defender. 

Tossing Lonergan to the ground, Franklin got a hand free and slowed the ball as it plummeted to the ground, scooped up the bounce, drew Harry Taylor to him, shimmied and fired-off a handball to Kurt Tippett, who made no mistake from point-blank range.

Buddy roared in celebration, before running over to bump Lonergan and letting him, Taylor and everyone within earshot know that the MCG colosseum is still his playground. 

Franklin went relatively quiet after quarter-time, but the damage was done.

It's good to have Buddy back on the big stage in September. 

Who made it happen?

Roving his own tap, Sam Naismith dished out a handball that missed Mitchell, but the ruckman followed up and grabbed Corey Enright by the left arm as Dan Hannebery smothered his kick. 

Tom Papley slammed Mitch Duncan in a tackle and the ball spilled free for Rohan and Mitchell to fight each other for possession.

John Longmire would've been delighted with the Swans' swarming pressure.

What did it mean?

The passage of play stamped the Swans' authority. A five-goal to nothing start had the Cats on the ropes before they knew what had hit them and they never recovered. 

In the context of the game's key one-on-one battle, Franklin's manhandling of Lonergan – who boasted an excellent record on the superstar - and subsequent taunting would've made his teammates walk taller. 

Five things we learned: Buddy show goes off early

For Tippett, his second goal inside 14 minutes answered any doubts his comeback from a hairline fracture of his jaw was the correct call. 

Any cameo performers?

Sam Naismith deserves a ton of credit for his effort following-up from the centre bounce. 

The 206cm former rookie had a solid match and, in combination with Tippett, nullified the influence of Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley.

• Every Swan rated: Rohan completes remarkable finals comeback

How did they call it?

"Franklin just manhandling him, and then gives it off, and Tippett's got another one. Make it five, Lingy (Cameron Ling). Buddy unbelievable." – Bruce McAvaney, Channel Seven.

"It is unbelievable. This is brilliant stuff from Buddy and you can see he is letting Lonergan know about every bit of it." – Wayne Carey, Channel Seven.

And the fans went ...

… wild. The scene unfolded in front of the raucous Swans cheersquad, who must've been in disbelief at their side's dream start. For Geelong fans, it was their worst nightmare becoming reality before their eyes. 

Will they play it in 20 years time?

Geelong fans will replay it – and many other moments – in their minds as they try to come to terms with such a shocking performance, but this won't come close to forcing its way onto the Buddy Franklin highlights reel to be shown to future generations. 

Lance Franklin's stats sheet 

 

Kicks

Disposals

Marks

Contested marks

Tackles

Inside 50s

Score assists

Goals

Q1

 4

 9

 3

 0

 1

 4

 3

 1

Q2

 1

 3

 2

 0

 0

 0

 0

 1

Q3

 0

 3

 1

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

Q4

 2

 4

 2

 0

 0

 0

 0

 0

Total

 7

 19

 8

 0

 1

 4

 3

 2

 

What they said in the rooms 

"He (Franklin) was fantastic early. He was one of those blokes who was going really hard at it. There were a number of them, (Isaac) Heeney, a few of them were going really hard and that's really set the tone." – Swans coach John Longmire

"With the whole ruck group (following up the tap) is something we pride ourselves on not just to be a tap ruckman, you've got to follow-up. It's part of the role." – Swans ruckman Sam Naismith 

How will Franklin fare next week?

Buddy's last visit to the MCG on Grand Final day in 2014 didn't end so well, despite his four goals, in a thumping from his old club Hawthorn. 

It would take a brave man to predict that Franklin won't have a huge say in the fifth Grand Final of his career and he'll be fired-up to deliver the premiership many believe is necessary to justify his mega nine-year, $10-million move to the Swans.

• Winged Swans face Grand Final selection headaches 

When the Swans were shocked by crosstown rivals the Giants in their qualifying final, Franklin had 20 touches but was kept goalless for the first time in his 19 finals appearances by Phil Davis – and that will surely burn the superstar. 

The Bulldogs don't have an obvious match-up for Franklin, which is a huge worry, especially since he's kicked 14 goals against them in the past three games – including a bag of five in the Swans' four-point loss at the SCG in round 15. 

Buddy on Grand Final day will be worth watching.