On the eve of his 100th game, Roberts-Thomson said he was a big chance to get the job on last year's Coleman Medallist, and admitted that whoever got the role faced a daunting task.
But he added that the Swans couldn't afford to expend all its energy on limiting the influence of Franklin and goalkicking partner Jarryd Roughead if they were to taste victory.
"He’s (Franklin) such a fantastic player. He proved it last year kicking over a hundred goals and he’s very hard to stop," Robert-Thomson said.
"But we can't get too focused on Jarryd Roughead and Buddy Franklin up forward; it's got to be a team effort where we help each other out."
A member of the 2005 premiership side, Roberts-Thomson hasn’t enjoyed an easy ride to 100 games after a severe foot injury sidelined him for the entire 2007 season.
But the rugby convert returned last year to play every game for the Swans.
"It's been a pretty long journey to get to the hundred games but I'm finally there and very excited.
"Probably the hardest thing for me crossing codes was learning the game, learning where to position and also adapting to the skills of the game.
"Fortunately in rugby there's a lot of tackling and I was able to bring that across to my Aussie rules game but the skill aspect was one of the big things."
The Swans will be looking to bounce back after they were overrun by St Kilda last start but the reigning premier are also on the rebound after their loss to Geelong on Friday night.
The task will be especially tough as the Swans continue restructuring their defensive unit in the absence of injured defensive stalwart Leo Barry and following the retirement of Tadhg Kennelly.
"You do miss having the general (Barry) down there. He has been our full-back for the last decade.
"So he is sorely missed, along with Tadhg, but Teddy Richards and Craig Bolton have really stepped up this year. Craig has proven in the past, being an All-Australian, that he's a fantastic defender.
"We now need the young guys to step up and take added responsibility. If the older guys again have a consistent year there's no doubt we can reach the finals."
