THE SYDNEY Swans must find a way to fix their dysfunctional forward line if they're any hope of getting their 2017 campaign off the ground against Collingwood at the SCG on Friday night.
The blistering return of Sam Reid and the heroics of Lance Franklin have hidden a raft of forward-half problems this season, with a heavy reliance on the star duo, a host of missing goalkickers, and poor form all contributing to make the Swans' attack a misfiring mess.
Reid's comeback after missing all of last season with injury has been remarkable; he leads the club after two rounds for goals (nine) and marks inside 50 (seven), with Franklin (eight and six) not far behind.
• Why the Swans are footy's slow start specialists
But while the Swans' dynamic duo are in good form, none of their teammates have kicked more than one goal, and Champion Data figures show that with an average of just six goalkickers per game, Sydney is ranked last in the competition, just behind the Magpies (7.5).
There is the missing personnel.
The Swans spread the load in 2016, but Tom Papley (knee – 29 goals last year), Isaac Heeney (glandular fever – 28) and Gary Rohan (back/hamstring – 25) haven't been seen, while Tom Mitchell (traded to Hawthorn – 15) and Ben McGlynn (retired – 24) are no longer at the club.
And now forward/ruck Kurt Tippett, who kicked a goal in the Swans' opening-round loss to Port Adelaide, is out after injuring his ankle early in last week's loss to the Western Bulldogs.
It's placed plenty of pressure on John Longmire's back-up options and unfortunately they haven't picked up the slack, with the likes of Dean Towers (dropped after one game), Harry Cunningham (dropped after two) and Jordan Foote (dropped after round one and re-selected for round three) struggling to have an impact, leaving exciting draftees Oliver Florent and last week's debutant Will Hayward to shoulder too much responsibility.
All Australian midfielders Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Luke Parker, along with Kieren Jack and George Hewett, were all healthy contributors to the scoreboard on the way to the Grand Final last season, but they've only managed two goals between them this season.
There's no doubt the Swans' elite onballers haven't been at their best, but they are providing enough opportunities for their forwards to score, with the Swans ranked fourth in the League in averaging 57.5 inside 50s per match.
Sam Reid celebrates a goal with some of his misfiring mates. Picture: AFL Photos
The biggest problem seems to be that when they do go forward, it's Reid and Franklin or bust, and the way the ball is getting pumped in there is making it a struggle to convert.
Reid (25) and Franklin (18) have been the dominant targets, with Parker and Jack the next best with four.
Other Champion Data figures are also damning, with the Swans ranked last for disposal efficiency (44.8 per cent), and 12th for retaining possession of kicks into the forward 50, meaning less than half of them are finding a teammate.
While the numbers make ugly reading for Bloods fans, a 0-3 start to the season wouldn't necessarily end the Swans' chances of making finals. But if they are to keep Longmire's perfect record of making finals intact, Sydney's players must wake from their summer slumber against the Pies, the team they put 43 scoring shots on the last time they met.
• What was Jack Silvagni's plea to Jo?
