Lance Franklin has inspired a come-from-behind win against Richmond that will help the Sydney Swans keep in touch with the AFL’s heavyweights but he could find himself in hot water ahead of a tough stretch of games.

Franklin (five goals) lashed out at former Richmond captain Trent Cotchin in the second quarter of the six-point win, striking him with an open hand to the head, and can expect to hear from the match review officer.

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It’ll take some forensic analysis of the video footage to determine how forceful the strike really was and/or how seriously Cotchin should consider an acting career post-footy.

The Swans have the ladder-leading Demons next and can ill-afford to have their marquee forward watching from the sidelines.

Buddy’s frustrations boiled over as the Tigers were grabbing the contest by the throat; Richmond’s forward line shrugged off the absence of Kane Lambert and Tom Lynch and packed on seven answered goals either side of quarter time to take the wind out of Sydney’s sails.

Calm and collected in front of goal, the Tigers had seven goals on the board before they kicked a behind from a set shot.

Franklin had been contained remarkably well by first-year defender Josh Gibcus as Richmond opened up its lead but his first goal of the night just before halftime clearly did wonders for Sydney’s confidence.

Roaring to the crowd in Sir Doug Nicholls Round, the superstar forward inspired the Swans to turn a 33-point deficit into the kind of win that proves this Sydney team is gutsy enough for September.

“He did some pretty special things,” Swans coach John Longmire said of Franklin’s performance.

“In big moments, he was able to put his hand up and do some things that very few players can do.”

Callum Mills’ shift to the backline proved a masterful call as well; his calm hands and footy smarts helped to neutralise the little strike power that the depleted Richmond forward line had left.

“I think ‘Millsy’ played the role well,” Longmire said.

“They were scoring a bit too easily so we had to pull a lever and change something, which we did. At least that stopped their momentum a bit.

“Games are about arm-wrestles and we were able to get the momentum back a bit.”

As they fought their way back into the game, the Swans rediscovered their early intensity around the contest and were finally able to turn their domination of the inside 50 count into points.

“We started winning some of those contests and being better and cleaner around the ball,” Longmire said.

“There were some moments when we had to do a bit better and break even, which we didn’t do in that first half.”

Roaring to the crowd in Sir Doug Nicholls Round, the superstar forward inspired the Swans to turn a 31-point deficit into the kind of win that proves this Sydney team is gutsy enough for September.

Callum Mills’ shift to the backline proved a masterful call as well; his calm hands and footy smarts helped to neutralise the little strike power that the depleted Richmond forward line had left.

As they fought their way back into the game, the Swans rediscovered their early intensity around the contest and were finally able to turn their domination of the inside 50 count into points.

With a healthy Sydney crowd behind them, Sydney controlled the battle for territory when the game was on the line late, outscoring the Tigers six goals to three in the final quarter.

The Swans took the lead in the fourth term for the first time since the first and clung on for dear life.

They might’ve been the better team for significant portions of the game but the loss will send alarm bells ringing for the Tigers.

They’re still yet to defeat a current top eight side this season and could be in for a lean month ahead with clashes against Port Adelaide, Carlton and Geelong on the horizon.

With a healthy Sydney crowd behind them, Sydney controlled the battle for territory when the game was on the line late, outscoring the Tigers six goals to three in the final quarter.

The Swans took the lead in the fourth term for the first time since the first and clung on for dear life.

They might’ve been the better team for significant portions of the game but the loss will send alarm bells ringing for the Tigers.

They’re still yet to defeat a current top eight side this season and could be in for a lean month ahead with clashes against Port Adelaide, Carlton and Geelong on the horizon.

Fifty?

When the siren sounded, Sydney’s Chad Warner booted the ball into the crowd in elation and one of the most entertaining games of the year had finished.

Or so he thought.

In the fraction of a second before the full-time siren, the umpires blew a free for holding and were contemplating paying Richmond a 50 for timewasting on Warner’s behalf.

The 50 would’ve given Richmond a shot to equalise and secure a draw but in the end, it was scrapped and the result stood.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said he was unsure what the correct ruling would have been.

“It’s not my job, there are people on the ground who make those decisions,” he said.

“We can look at that last incident but the fact of the matter is that we were up by 33 points. It’s easy to look at the last play but we should have iced the game (by then).”

In total, a staggering 61 free kicks were paid on Friday night but Longmire remained tight-lipped about the officiating of the match.

“You can’t comment on the umpires so I’m definitely not commenting on the umpires,” he said.

Dusty preview?

Dustin Martin showed the healthy Sydney crowd just how much he’d enjoy playing at the SCG if he were to land at the Swans next season.

Swans coach John Longmire has previously refused to engage in speculation that Martin could end up in red and white next year.

But plenty of Sydney fans would’ve been picturing him in a Swans guernsey when he booted an early goal. He finished with 20 touches and six tackles.

Stopping Short was a tall order

Kicking the first goal of the second half would’ve done the Swans’ confidence a world of good after a tough second term.

But Richmond had other plans.

Dustin Martin cleared the footy out of the centre and found Hugo Ralphsmith on the run just outside 50.

The youngster connected with Jayden Short, who kicked the leather off the footy to give Richmond a goal within 16 seconds of the restart. Fortunately, the Swans didn’t give up from there.

Top eight trouble

The Tigers missed out on the finals last year for the first time since their premiership dynasty began but with superstar Martin back on deck for a full season, they would’ve liked their chances to make a comeback in 2022.

But as the season nears its halfway point, the Tigers are in serious danger of falling into quicksand in the middle of the ladder.

They’re unlikely to fall out of the top eight at the end of this weekend but could be inside on percentage alone.

St Kilda and Geelong began the weekend a game ahead of the Tigers and both will be heavy favourites to win their games this weekend.

And with three big games coming up, the chasm could become even wider for the Tigers.