Lance Franklin is exerting considerable influence on Sydneys push for an AFL premiership, even if you disregard his incredible deeds on the field.Franklin looms as a potential match-winner in the Swans preliminary final against Geelong at the MCG on Friday night.The 29-year-old, who missed the clubs straight-sets exit last September because of a mental-health condition, was among the minor premiers best players in both finals over the past fortnight.Franklin has booted 78 goals this year but his guidance has also boosted Sydney.Xavier Richards is a prime example.Richards managed two AFL games in his first three seasons at the SCG, having been starved of opportunities by a settled back six.The defender was thrown forward earlier this year in the NEAFL and hasnt looked back, playing the past eight AFL games.That run includes a strong showing in last weekends semi-final, when he booted two goals and dished off another three in a 36-point win over Adelaide.Richards says the mentorship of Franklin has been instrumental in helping him adjust to life at the other end of the ground.Buddy has been super. Hes a very intelligent footballer, he really understands the game, Richards told AAP.Hes been really good, telling me about leading patterns and some little tricks that I never knew before.Hell speak up in meetings, help during games and while were training. Hes a real leader in our forward line, weve got some young players and he really mentors a lot of us.Young guns Isaac Heeney, Tom Papley and George Hewett have expressed similar sentiments about Franklin this year.Older brother Ted, who will retire at the end of this season, has been another sounding board for Richards in his first AFL finals campaign. He just told me dont over-think it, Xavier Richards said.He reminds me Im a good athlete. Im fit, fast and have a lot of good assets and these guys (opposition defenders) arent amazing. Theyre no better than Dane Rampe or Heath Grundy, who I play on at training.Ted Richards hasnt played AFL since round 17 but was listed as an emergency last weekend.Id love to play with Ted before he retires. Itd be cool but if it doesnt happen then its not the end of the world, Xavier Richards said.The Swans forward line for Friday night is far from settled, with Gary Rohan (leg) and Kurt Tippett (broken jaw) both racing the clock as they bid to prove their fitness.Rohan and Tippett will need to train well on Wednesday to convince coach John Longmire they warrant selection in the high-stakes clash. Cheap Minnesota Wild Jerseys . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Cheap Wild Jerseys . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. http://www.cheapwildjerseys.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Wild Jerseys China .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Cheap Adidas Wild Jerseys . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. This time, the AFL heartache belonged to the new boys.GWS suffered a devastating six-point loss to the previous kings of AFL preliminary-final heartache, the Western Bulldogs, on Saturday evening at Sydneys Spotless StadiumThe Bulldogs had fallen seven straight times at the penultimate hurdle while, for the Giants, it was their first game at such a deep part of the season.Up by 14 points early in the last term, GWS kicked just one of the last five goals.They absorbed plenty of early fire from the feisty and more match-hardened Bulldogs and had to do without inspirational co-captain Callan Ward for more than half the game after he suffered a bout of concussion.Developing key forward Jon Patton continued his late-season surge with four goals.The Bulldogs win averted Victoriias nightmare scenario of an all-Sydney grand final.ddddddddddddBefore the game, AFL boss Gillon McLachlan paid tribute to the Giants and their meteoric rise from easybeats to a powerhouse.The Giants have been called a lot of things this week - upstarts, AFL implants, Victorias nightmare, Frankensteins Monster, McLachlan said.But lets call them what they really are: a staggeringly good football team starting to make its mark on our national competition in only their fifth year.A fledgling club committed to its community in western Sydney and committed to delivering the nations only indigenous game and football code to a new generation of fans. 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