THE BUZZ surrounding Sydney Swans star Lance Franklin's chances of reaching the magical 100-goal mark in 2016 continues to gain momentum, with even his own teammates admitting they're excited by the prospect.
Franklin's 29 goals at an average of four per match this season leads the competition after seven rounds, and with the Swans looking like finals certainties, the ton is within reach if he can maintain his form and stay healthy.
The triple Coleman winner has 735 career majors and has already overtaken Hawthorn champion Peter Hudson and North Melbourne's greatest player Wayne Carey, both with 727 goals, on the VFL/AFL's all-time goalkickers list this season.
Match preview: Richmond v Sydney Swans
Premiership captains Stephen Kernahan (738) and Barry Hall (746) plus Collingwood and North Melbourne full-forward Saverio Rocca (748) are all within striking distance in the next month, and Richmond legends Kevin Bartlett (778) and Matthew Richardson (800) will also watch Franklin run down their tallies by season's end if he reaches the century.
Swans ruckman Kurt Tippett has spent plenty of time inside 50 with Franklin and said that with the way Buddy has started the year, the significant personal milestone is certainly a possibility.
"I don't think there's a limit to how many goals he can kick this year, so that's really exciting," he said on Tuesday.
"It's pretty cool to think that he could kick 100.
"He's in great form, it's great to see he's enjoying his football and he seems really focused.
"I think right now he's in a really good spot, he seems really comfortable within himself.
"He's happy and is playing a great role for the side, so he's in great shape."
Franklin's next chance to pile on the goals will be this Saturday against struggling Richmond at the MCG, but with All Australian defender Alex Rance to return from suspension, he's set for a tough night.
Tippett has also had a quality start to the year and the ruckman will play a crucial role against the Tigers who, despite being winless since their opening round victory over Carlton, have a great recent record over the Swans.
Richmond has won the past two clashes between the sides with key forward Jack Riewoldt, captain Trent Cotchin and fellow midfielders Dustin Martin and Brett Deledio, plus ruckman Ivan Maric all prominent in both wins.
Cotchin is a chance to face the Swans after missing last week's loss to Hawthorn with a fractured cheekbone, and would add immediate class to the Tigers' midfield stocks.
Maric has battled for form in his only two games this year after recovering from a back issue and being dropped for the Hawks' clash, failed to dominant in the Tigers' lost to Port Melbourne in the VFL.
Coach Damien Hardwick might look at his past performances however and throw him a lifeline to help combat the athletic Swans duo of Tippett and Callum Sinclair on Saturday night.
"We'll have to see on that one," Tippett said.
"Whether it's (Ivan) Maric, (Shaun) Hampson or (Ben) Griffiths, these sorts of guys have been playing in the ruck so I'll need to have a look at all of them.
"We certainly do our homework on the opposition, we like to be aware of how they like to play and their strengths, then we focus on ourselves later in the week."
Veteran Swans defender Ted Richards will train this week after missing the past two wins over the Brisbane Lions and Essendon with a fractured eye socket, and will wear a protective helmet if he's picked to play.
