Sydney have overhauled their attacking strategy since the retirement of Lance Franklin. Now, goals and forward pressure come from every part of the ground.
It was the question that kept many Swans fans awake late at night before the start of this season – the first since the retirement of Lance Franklin: what would life look like after Buddy?
This season, the Swans have completely overhauled their strategy in attack, spreading the workload beyond the key forwards and allowing midfielders such as Brownlow Medal candidates Chad Warner and Isaac Heeney the space to step up and contribute on the scoreboard. McDonald’s role is unglamorous but valuable, providing space for his teammates to thrive while keeping the defence guessing.Last season’s top goalkicker Tom Papley admitted life after Buddy had been carefully planned by the Swans to ensure that there was a greater spread of goalkickers who could contribute to the team at any time in the game.
Papley remains one of the competition’s elite small forwards, averaging 1.6 goals a game this season, but has been happy to see share the load with his teammates, including key forward Joel Amartey who kicked a career-high of nine goals in last Saturday’s 42 win against Adelaide.
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