SYDNEY, Australia -- A five goal haul from Lance Franklin has helped Sydney come from behind to overrun an undermanned Giants side and keep their hopes of a top-four finish in 2018 alive.
Led by their star-studded midfield, the Giants opened up an early three goal lead before the scoring dried up in the second half, and when injuries struck it allowed the Swans to seize the opportunity and run over the top to record a 20-point win.
Franklin's handful of goals earned him the Brett Kirk Medal for best afield while Luke Parker was also magnificent in the midfield with 33 disposals and two goals.
Here's what we learned from the game...
Franklin is worth every cent of his contract
There was always going to be plenty of skepticism around Buddy's mammoth contract at Sydney and it's been growing louder with each passing year the Swans have been unable to land a premiership.
However, after being written off a number of times in 2018 -- and most notably the past fortnight -- Franklin reminded everyone that he is still the game's No. 1 match-winner with a sensational display in western Sydney.
Trailing by 20 points midway through the second term in a low scoring affair, Franklin imposed himself and sparked the Swans to life. He kicked five goals (and four behinds) in the final two and a half quarters to turn the match on its head and give the Swans a third consecutive win after their shock loss to Gold Coast in Round 18.
No Giant could contain him as he patrolled the Sydney forward line and used his strength, size and agility to great effect. By full time he had amassed 16 disposals, eight marks, three tackles and two score assists as well as his five goals.
Premiership or not, Franklin is more than doing his job.
Injuries have killed the Giants
It's plain and simple; no side has had a worse run with injuries to best-22 players than the Giants in 2018.
They began the year with a dozen of their stars sidelined and although they have gradually returned to the team, further injuries have halted the team's progress.
Everything was going to plan against the Swans in the opening quarter. The Josh Kelly-less midfield was well on top and by quarter time the trio of Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel and Callan Ward had combined for 35 possessions -- 33 percent of what the entire 22 accumulated -- to help the Giants skip out to a 13-point lead.
Winning percentages in 2018 when key @GWSGIANTS are playing. No Greene or Kelly today against the @sydneyswans
— Jake Michaels (@JMichaelsESPN) August 18, 2018
85% - Toby Greene
79% - Josh Kelly
72% - Phil Davis
65% - Lachie Whitfield, Callan Ward
64% - Jeremy Cameron
60% - Dylan Shiel, Stephen Coniglio#AFL #AFLGiantsSwans
But then things turned, again, and it was more of the same for the Giants. Injuries to skipper Phil Davis, Jeremy Finlayson, Daniel Lloyd and Ryan Griffen left the Giants wounded and allowed Sydney to arrest the momentum.
What was a 20-point lead at one stage ended up becoming a 20-point loss, and GWS now faces the prospect of finishing outside the top four should they lose to West Coast next week in Perth. While Kelly is likely to return for that clash, Griffen's name will be added to the Giants' ever-growing injury list that already features the likes of Heath Shaw, Jonathan Patton, Tom Scully, Brett Deledio and Toby Greene.
Sure, injuries are part-and-parcel of the game, but what the Giants have suffered this year is incredible and matched (maybe) only by a resilient Collingwood team. If the Giants can run out a game fully fit, they will be very hard to stop.
Davis could be the most important Giant
With an abundance of talent on the Giants' list, pinpointing their most important player can be a tall order.
However, in the space of two and a half quarters on Saturday afternoon, the absence of skipper Phil Davis from defence just about answered that question once and for all.
Davis came from the field midway through the second term with what appeared to be a hip injury sustained in a marking contest with Franklin.
The Giants really don't have another big-bodied key defender that can handle an elite power forward and it showed. With Davis in the rooms getting assessed, Jeremy Finlayson was sent to Franklin and the Swans spearhead began to run amok. He overpowered him time and time again, clunked marks and hit the scoreboard.
Adam Tomlinson and Nick Haynes also had moments on Franklin when Finlayson was battling his left leg injury but neither could contain him.
Even with the likes of Jeremy Cameron, Greene, Coniglio, Ward and Kelly, Franklin's dominance highlighted just how important Davis is to this Giants side and if unfit they may not be premiership material.