Sydney AFL coach John Longmore would prefer to use his star spearhead Lance Franklin further up the ground.

All-Australian captain Franklin has been Sydney's leading goalkicker in each of his first five seasons at the club but 2018 was a trying year for the champion.

Forward thinking: Lance Franklin's fitness will determine how much time he spends up the field, says John Longmire. Credit:AAP

A niggling fitness issue meant he was unable to train much throughout the year while key forward Sam Reid played just one game.

It meant Franklin had to play deep more than Longmire would have liked, with teenager Tom McCartin frequently deployed as the other key forward.