ALASTAIR Clarkson was intrigued by a tweak to Lance Franklin's movements in the Sydney Swans' win over Geelong last Friday night.

The Hawthorn coach noticed Buddy positioning himself further up the ground, dragging his opponent away from defensive help and clearing space inside 50 for his Swans teammates.

It was a team-first move and although the superstar forward only kicked 1.1 – his lowest return this season – from 15 possessions, Clarkson considered Franklin the most influential player in the match. 

"It was really interesting to note he played higher up the ground last week," Clarkson said ahead of the Hawks' blockbuster clash with the Swans. 

"He only kicked one goal but the team kicked 14 or 15 and they won convincingly. So we're also very, very mindful of that. 

"He's just one part of their forward mix and whilst he's a very important player for them, as we saw last week he doesn't have to have a dominant game in terms of the scoreboard pressure to have a significant influence on the contest. 

"My view is that he was the most influential player on the ground last week just because of the way he positioned himself and what it did in terms of spreading the load for the Sydney side.

"So that makes it a more difficult proposition this week."

The Swans have been accused of being too Franklin-centric this season, a charge levelled at the Hawks back in 2012.

Clarkson famously responded by weaning the Hawks off Franklin's brilliance, insulating his side against Buddy's occasional inaccuracy and eventual departure.

After targeting Franklin with 40 per cent of kicks inside 50 in 2012, Hawthorn only went to Franklin with a quarter of those kicks in his final year in brown and gold. 

It's a trend the Swans seem to have followed since their loss to Richmond after the siren in round eight.

According to Champion Data's tracking, the Swans directed almost half (47 per cent) their passes inside 50 towards Franklin against the Tigers.

But only 29 per cent of kicks went in Buddy's direction in the win over Geelong and Franklin's three disposals inside 50 were his lowest tally for the season. 

Lance Franklin catches up with former teammates in round nine after the Swans' win. Picture: AFL Media
Notably, the Swans had 11 individual goalkickers at the Cattery and by throwing key defender Ted Richards deep into attack, Franklin was unleashed to roam up the ground. 

If John Longmire pulls the same move on Thursday night, Clarkson wants his defenders to be ready.

"Last week Harry Taylor couldn’t have the same influence on the game because he didn't know where Bud was going to be standing," Clarkson said.

"And I'm sure they went into the game thinking that Harry's going to drop off an opponent and assist Tom Lonergan with aerial contests on Buddy Franklin and it couldn't happen. 

"So that was really, really good coaching on the Sydney side's behalf and we've got to be prepared for that this week."