SYDNEY Swans star Lance Franklin has escaped major injury after the marquee man was knocked out in a sickening head clash with teammate Gary Rohan on a dramatic afternoon in Canberra on Sunday.
Craig Bird snapped a goal as the siren sounded to sneak the Swans home 0.11.7 (73) to 0.9.13 (67) against Greater Western Sydney, but most of the attention will be on their casualties.
Aside from Franklin, co-captain Kieren Jack was also taken to Canberra Hospital after taking a hit to the abdomen in the dramatic NAB Challenge match.
However, shortly after full-time, the Swans released a statement saying both men had been cleared of injury and would fly back to Sydney with the team that night.
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Franklin appeared the major concern after clashing heads with Rohan in the opening 10 minutes and not returning after being taken to hospital.
The star full forward was carried off StarTrack Oval on a stretcher, assessed in the Swans' dressing room, and later taken to hospital for precautionary scans.
Swans general manager of football Tom Harley said Franklin and Jack both were taken purely for precautionary scans, and was confident Franklin's injury was nothing too major.
"He is not expected to have suffered any serious damage," Harley said.
Franklin and Rohan were attempting to tackle Giant Lachie Whitefield when they looked up and collided head-on.
Rohan left the field but returned in the second quarter and played out the match.
Stand-in coach Stuart Dew said his heart was in his mouth when the pair went down.
"Always does, particularly when you look up and see there's two red and whites on the ground," Dew said.
The incident was indicative of a fierce encounter between the two Sydney teams that also saw Giant Will Hoskin-Elliott taken from the field holding his shoulder in the final term.
Jeremy Cameron was sensational in the Giants' forward line, kicking five goals and showing signs of his 2013 All Australian form.
It may have been just a pre-season match, but no quarter was given or asked between the two Sydney rivals.
Former Swan Shane Mumford showed there was no love lost with his former teammates, giving Dan Hannebery an almighty shove in the second term that sent the blonde midfielder flying.
But after absorbing some heat in the first quarter and trailing by nine points, the Giants showed they would not be pushovers this season.
"We came here hoping we'd get through injury free, but also the intensity of the game would lift to close to an AFL standard, and we know the Swans always bring that," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.
"The challenge for us is to continue to bring that, and I thought we did for most of the game."
Midfielders Callan Ward (25), Josh Kelly (24) and Adam Treloar (23) had plenty of the ball and were driving forces behind their team's strong performance.
For the Swans, Luke Parker (29 disposals) was the pick of the players.
Ted Richards lays a strong tackle on Jeremy Cameron, who finished with five goals. Picture: AFL Media
WHAT WE LEARNED
Greater Western Sydney: Jeremy Cameron is back to his best. The 2013 All Australian might have been a touch down last season by his own lofty standards, but after five goals on Sunday looks in mint condition ahead of round one. The 21-year-old was leading, jumping, taking contested marks and recovering quicker than his opponent and was clearly the best forward on the field. Tom Boyd might have left and Jon Patton might not be back until midway through the season, but Giants fans can breathe easy their young superstar looks ready to roll.
Sydney Swans: It's hard to read too much into the Swans' performance. They've improved steadily through the pre-season and again showed enough composure under pressure to sneak past their rivals. Depending on the injury report, coach John Longmire may have some headaches in his forward line ahead of round one with Franklin and Kurt Tippett (leg) both with question marks hanging over them.
NEW FACES
Greater Western Sydney: Former Brisbane Lion Joel Patfull continued his seamless transition to the Giants with another polished display. The medium-sized defender has not missed a beat since his off-season move and impressed with his 22 composed disposals and marshaling of the back six. Fellow recruit Ryan Griffen also put in another classy display. Of his 20 disposals, 12 were contested and included a brilliant snapped goal from just inside 50m that very few could manage.
Sydney Swans: He didn't get a lot of the ball, but academy product Isaac Heeney continued to impress. The blonde midfielder showed his versatility by going forward and kicking two goals – his first from outside 50m and his second from a strong contested mark against Matt Buntine. Project ruckman Sam Naismith was more than competitive in the clinches, finishing with 11 disposals and 17 hit-outs, while Daniel Robinson struggled to get into the match after coming on as Jack's substitute.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 0.3.3 0.6.4 0.8.8 0.9.13 (67)
SYDNEY SWANS 0.5.0 0.7.2 0.9.3 0.11.7 (73)
GOALS
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron 5, Greene, Griffin, McCarthy, Tomlinson
Sydney Swans: Heeney 2, Robinson, Rohan, Towers, Cunningham, Hannebery, Kennedy, Goodes, Bird, Parker
BEST
Greater Western Sydney: Cameron, Ward, Patfull, Bugg, Treloar, Tomlinson
Sydney Swans: Parker, Hannebery, Lloyd, Grundy, Smith, Kennedy
INJURIES
Greater Western Sydney: Hoskin-Elliott (arm)
Sydney Swans: Franklin (face); Jack (abdomen)
