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1. In this type of form, can anyone stop Lance Franklin?
HEADING into Friday's preliminary final between the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne, one of the key questions was whether All Australian defender Scott Thompson could continue his mastery of Lance Franklin. After four quarters of total dominance from the Swans' spearhead, the answer was a resounding no. Buddy, held to a total of six behinds in his previous two clashes with Thompson, helped himself to 23 possessions, 11 marks, six inside 50s, four goal assists and 5.2. "He's obviously a big-game player and he produced that effort that we like to see," Swans midfielder Dan Hannebery told AFL.com.au. "Not just at the ball, but also off the ball, and that's what's really impressed us all year." So the obvious next question is, who can contain Franklin in the Grand Final? Josh Gibson spent four years with Franklin at Hawthorn and, despite giving up 9cm and 7kg, the Hawk would have intimate knowledge of Buddy's habits. Brian Lake, another big game player, would also back himself against the superstar Swan. Either way, considering his current level of performance, it will likely take a team effort to keep tabs on Franklin. – James Dampney
2. Which Swan will Will Langford try to lock down?
When Port Adelaide skipper Travis Boak was threatening to take the game away from Hawthorn in the first quarter of the second preliminary final, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson turned to Will Langford. Langford has carved a niche for himself this season as a run-with midfielder and he did not let his coach down against Boak. Clarkson said he was really pleased with Langford's ability to curb Boak's influence after his 10-possession first quarter, albeit noting that Boak had got off the leash in the game's dying minutes when the Power almost stole an unlikely victory. "He's a really strong contested ball player and he has emerged as a pretty important part of our mix," Clarkson said of Langford. Langford will be an extremely important member of the Hawks' midfield next Saturday against the Swans' dominant on-ball division, and you could mount a case for him to play on any of Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery, Kieren Jack or, if he plays in the midfield, Jarrad McVeigh. But, for ours, the man that Langford should stand beside has to be Josh Kennedy. Kennedy is a bull at stoppages and set up the Swans' preliminary final win over North Melbourne with a team-high eight clearances, including three from the centre square. Stop him – or, more realistically, limit his impact – and the Hawks will be well on their way to back-to-back flags. And Langford is the Hawks' best bet to do this. – Nick Bowen
Mike Pyke will have a massive task in the Grand Final, as he did in 2012. Picture: AFL Media
3. Can Mike Pyke perform another September miracle for the Swans?
The Canadian-born former rugby player was so good against Hawthorn in the 2012 Grand Final that he almost won the Norm Smith Medal. Forced to carry most of the rucking load against David Hale and Jarryd Roughead due to Shane Mumford's injury problems, Pyke finished with 16 disposals, six marks and 29 hit-outs. When the game was on the line in the final quarter, he rose to the occasion, taking a couple of timely grabs and helping the Swans score a courageous win. The departure of Mumford means Pyke is now his club's No.1 ruckman, with star forward Kurt Tippett providing the back-up. So there will be plenty of pressure on Pyke to be similarly impressive when the Swans once again meet the Hawks on the last Saturday in September. The curve-ball in the whole situation is the make-up of Hawthorn's ruck division. Alastair Clarkson chose to go with Jonathon Ceglar and Hale in Saturday night's narrow preliminary final win over Port Adelaide. But when the Swans last played the Hawks, at the MCG back in round 18, Ben McEvoy carried the rucking load for Hawthorn. That night McEvoy had the better of Pyke, so it remains to be seen whether Clarkson will be tempted to make a change. For his part, Pyke will simply have to wait until Thursday night to find out his opponents in the big game. But given his performance two years ago, he is sure to go into the match confident that he can get the job done again. – Adam McNicol
4. Is Isaac Smith the Hawthorn game-breaker that the Swans must contain?
Smith hasn't missed a game this season, and he went into Saturday's preliminary final against Hawthorn having averaged 23 disposals in his 23 matches to that point. The run-all-day midfielder enjoyed another impressive outing in the narrow win over Port Adelaide, finishing with 19 disposals, seven marks and two very valuable goals. Such has been his influence this season, he has often had to deal with shutdown players shadowing his every move, although his aerobic capacity has proven too much for most taggers to deal with. Two months ago, when he last lined up against the Swans, he finished with 18 touches, three goals and a mention among the Hawks' best players. With that in mind, it seems highly likely that the Swans will pay him close attention in the Grand Final, with Harry Cunningham among the players likely to be given the job by John Longmire. – Adam McNicol
