Like his last game, Lance Franklin’s comeback could not have been scripted much better.

Precisely 581 days ago, his 300th AFL match unfolded like a storybook as he kicked four goals to celebrate his milestone and provide an emotional send-off for retiring Swans greats Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack.

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Franklin wasn’t a father then. Now, he has two kids. That’s how long it has been between drinks. But as he proved in Sydney’s 33-point win over Adelaide, he is no spent force.

On a glorious Saturday afternoon at the SCG, Franklin demanded the ball at almost every opportunity. His teammates wanted to give it to him, and the 23,946 in the house wanted to see it happen, roaring with expectation each time it looked even a remote possibility.

His first touch didn’t come until almost 20 minutes into the first quarter, when Errol Gulden spotted him with a short chip on the 50m arc. Buddy went back, split the middle, and every Swans player ran to him to revel in the moment.

He finished with nine disposals, two marks and 3.2, leaving him 53 short of the magic 1000 mark. Sydney won handsomely, easing to a 18.13 (121) to 11.22 (88) triumph. More importantly, he didn’t get injured. It was the best the 34-year-old and the Swans could have possibly hoped for after so long on the sidelines.

But the frightening truth for the rest of the competition is they don’t need him. The Swans have weaned themselves off their Franklin dependency during his 18-month hiatus so that now he’s like the cherry on top, not the recipe for the cake - to the point where coach John Longmire put the cue in the rack, benching Buddy for most of the last quarter.

His heir apparent, Logan McDonald, backed up his brilliant debut with another eye-catching two-goal display, including a handball assist for Franklin to boot his third, right on the three-quarter-time siren. Two games into his career, it’s hard to envisage McDonald not becoming a superstar - perhaps even in the Buddy bracket.