After Buddy Franklin's shock move to Sydney was confirmed last October, Swans captain Adam Goodes challenged him to adopt the club's renowned 'Bloods' culture, and he has responded in kind.
As news of Franklin's $10 million move north reverberated around the AFL world, concerns were raised as to what sort of fit the former Hawthorn superstar would be in the Harbour City.
But Goodes says Franklin has earned the respect of his new teammates by tearing into pre-season training.
"It's amazing how those comments I said were received. I just said that Buddy when he comes to the football club he has to earn the respect of the players and he has certainly done that through his hard work at training and I have been really happy with the way he has approached training," Goodes, the Australian of the Year, said.
"You can tell he is just like any new player that has come to our footy club over the years. They are coming in and absorbing the culture.
"It is great to see that he is working hard and he is getting fit."
Goodes remains in rehabilitation as he recovers from a knee injury that wrecked much of his 2013. But he said he can't wait to play alongside Franklin this year.
"Buddy has just joined in skills this week which is a really good bonus with him because we really want to get that forward line structure working well by the time we start round one," Goodes said.
"He offers a lot, he is a fantastic athlete, he can take high marks, he can kick goals from anywhere.
"I am really looking forward to expecting everything ... it's amazing. An athlete like that can produce some pretty special things out there.
"But I think the things we want him to work on as a football club is forward pressure and making sure he competes well in the air and that is as simple as it will be for his role I would have thought."
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