Franklin came to the Swans to win a flag but, like the club's key decision makers, does not believe the Swans need to achieve this in order to justify his $10 million recruitment.

If Franklin's career in the red and the white is judged by the Swans' line that he was recruited to help them regenerate rather than win flags, then the superstar's time in Sydney is already an unbridled success.

The criteria, of course, is more wide ranging but it's clear his impact on the club cannot be assessed purely on facts and figures or his contribution to the scoresheet.

The idea of Franklin showing the way for youngsters may once have been considered a worry but the influence he is having on the development of the Swans' inexperienced forward line is proving immense.

He may not be the most confident public speaker but his teammates feel comfortable seeking his counsel because he is happy to give it. And when Franklin talks, young Swans listen.

"He knows his football, he loves footy, he watches a lot of it and he knows footy really well," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"A lot of players, talented players in particular that may not be the case always but he's one of those blokes ... that's really valuable for the younger players."

Forwards Isaac Heeney, Tom Papley, Xavier Richards and George Hewett have all spent time under Franklin's wing.

Richards, who has played forward for the first time this year as a Swan, has a simple question he asks himself: "what would Buddy do here?" Hewett regards Franklin as the leader of the forward line.

"His leadership gets underrated. During meetings, at training with such a young team, a young forward group, when he speaks we all listen," Hewett said.

"The advice he gives is usually spot on. He does a lot behind doors in the meetings with what we need to know. He's been massive.

"That's why he's such a great player. He's got physical attributes but his mind is as sharp as anyone else's. It all blends well for him."

While the Swans have become less dependent on his superboot for goals, it's no coincidence the two September campaigns he has played in have resulted in grand finals.

The humiliation of 2014 has made him hungrier but Saturday will not be more special because of his much publicised mental health issues 12 months ago.

"It's a grand final, you want to win the grand final and I'll be doing everything possible to win that game and so will everyone that takes the field," Franklin said.

"It's no different to any other grand final. It's a huge amount of work we've got to put in to win the game."

Victory, Franklin said, would make no difference in his eyes on how his time in Sydney would be viewed.

"I love playing football. I'm living in Sydney now, I don't have to justify it by winning a premiership," Franklin said.

Longmire said Franklin was recruited to help the Swans through a generation change rather than to win a flag.

"There's no team [that] ever thought that and no team ever will and certainly not the Sydney Swans," Longmire said.

This weekend's team is likely to include no more than seven from the 2012 premiership team. Five bowed out last year, including arguably the greatest Swan of all in Adam Goodes.

"He was recruited because we knew we were going through a transition phase, as far as some older players going out the door, some stars of the past and some younger players coming through and we thought he could help us be competitive," Longmire said.

"He's certainly helped us be competitive. He was really keen to come to Sydney, that's the reasons why."