There have always been a few beat-ups in football – after all, there are more reporters covering the AFL than the Australian political scene. Which is why it is staggering the Swans have avoided the limelight for so long.

Enter Buddy Franklin.

I remember speaking to one of the senior Hawthorn players after the announcement that sent shockwaves through the industry last year about his move to the Swans. I asked "what is he actually like? Would he fit in?" I clearly remember how the player replied: "Be prepared for it. He is bigger than the game!'"

Having played alongside Tony Lockett, Paul Kelly and Australian of the Year Adam Goodes, it has surprised me that one man could attract even more interest.

But the number of times I have been asked about Buddy from anyone from "footyheads" to those who barely take a fleeting interest in the sport is incredible. They have all broached the subject – how will the No.23 fit in?

The simple answer is I reckon he is going to fit in beautifully.

This is a team chasing success. Many big-name players have re-signed – not jumped ship as many speculated. Jarrad McVeigh, Ben McGlynn, Gary Rohan, Nick Smith, Ted Richards and Josh Kennedy are all examples of people who are committed for the journey.

These players want to be successful. And Franklin will only help give them that opportunity.

When the Swans lost dismally to cross-town rivals Greater Western Sydney in round one, the focus turned to Franklin and how the Swans’ culture was supposedly fractured. The blowtorch was well and truly lit. Columnists mused that the Swans had sold their soul; that 20 years of work could be undone with a stroke of Buddy’s pen. The club’s culture had been poisoned.

These sensationalist statements were comical in some ways. They were something foreign to the footy club.

Make no mistake, this is a competitive game and to the victors go the spoils. I certainly never wanted to be gifted a game by playing in a weak side. As a player, you demand that the coaches and recruiters find the best talent via the draft or trade and develop the group internally to give you a chance of premiership glory. If that puts you at risk of losing your spot, then work harder and perform better to warrant selection.

The Swans have done an unbelievable job of recruiting players from other clubs over the years, and it is the commitment to the team ethos that makes those players all, arguably, just as valuable to the team as Franklin.

Only time will tell whether the risk versus reward pays off and that the forward line is cohesive. As a senior player, there is an expectation for him to perform and play his role like everyone else. Nothing more, nothing less.

But it is a slight on strong leaders like co-captains McVeigh, Kieren Jack and former captain Goodesy if people think issues would not be addressed if Buddy or others are not up to a certain standard. The thing with the Swans is they will support as well as criticise if it is warranted. Feedback is delivered and then followed up on.

I can only remember one time when the club came under the microscope to any similar extent, at the latter stages of Barry Hall’s time at Sydney. This was a time during which Hally’s indiscretions on the field had forced the hand of the leaders and coaches. It certainly tested many. I can remember having to sit in on meetings with media outlets because they wanted more access to the big man. He had shunned them since his treatment after the 2006 grand final, when we lost to the Eagles.

Internally, the issue of trust among the playing group was raised. Could the club put up with another incident on the field? Ultimately, he departed in 2009. In hindsight, I felt we dealt with this poorly at the time. In my opinion, we overplayed the strong-culture card and could have supported Hally to a greater extent to get him in a better frame of mind.

But that is history and it was wonderful to see "Baz" inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame at the season launch. He almost got teary in his acceptance speech after watching the highlight reel of his enormous contribution to the Swans.

Tiger Woods said "winning fixes everything" and the comforting thing about our sport is that you get the opportunity to make amends for a poor performance the following week.

This time both Collingwood and the Swans are stinging after ordinary efforts in round one – both have had to wait two weeks to play.

It’s time to end the innuendo; enough talk on all fronts. It will be on for young and old this Saturday night at ANZ Stadium or else you are 0-2. Nobody wants to go down that track.