LANCE Franklin was correctly stopped from cleaning the ball with a Chux Superwipe in Sydney's loss to Adelaide last Friday night, AFL football operations manager Steve Hocking says.

Franklin was handed the cleaning cloth by a Swans trainer as he prepared to take a shot on goal late in the final quarter of his team's 10-point loss.

After the star spearhead started to wipe the ball with the cloth, an umpire told him to stop and he quickly did so.

Hocking said on Tuesday the umpire had made the right call.

"The only thing you can use (to clean the ball) is your uniform – your jumper, socks or shorts – you can't use anything else," Hocking said.

Franklin was rightly allowed to take his set shot – Hocking said there was no need to pay a free kick against him – but missed, his 1.3 return for the night proving costly for the Swans.

However, the League footy boss suggested there was one winner out of the unusual episode.

"It was a great opportunity for Chux, though, wasn't it?" Hocking joked.