Loading

Lance Franklin is not used to having a free September, and he doesn't much like it. But the Sydney Swans veteran is confident it will be a one-off after watching the club's next generation spread their wings in his absence.

The Swans will miss the finals this season for the first time in a decade. For Franklin, it's just the fourth time in his career he will not be involved at the business end of an AFL campaign, having been originally drafted into a Hawthorn team that was on the rise.

Lance Franklin is feeling good after spending nearly two months on the sidelines recovering from the second hamstring injury he has suffered in 2019. Credit:AAP

The 32-year-old believes something similar is brewing in Sydney. While he and other veterans of the club have spent the majority of the year on the sidelines, recovering from injury, young guns like Nick Blakey, Jordan Dawson, Ollie Florent and many others have filled in admirably. Wins have been scarce, but respect has been earned along the way.

If nothing else, the Brisbane Lions have proved this year that teams brimming with promise can jump up the ladder quickly. Franklin sees no reason why that can't be Sydney in 2020.