Curbing the influence of Lance Franklin is a monster task for any defender, so it's no surprise Greater Western Sydney co-captain Phil Davis has called on his teammates to help him get the job done in Saturday's qualifying final.
Davis had the better of his duel with the superstar Swan when the GIANTS won their round 12 clash at Spotless Stadium by 42 points, and his individual battle was a major reason for his team's success.
But the pillar of the GWS backline said that Franklin's talents made him impossible to keep quiet, without the assistance of his teammates up the field.
Franklin kicked four goals when the Swans beat the GIANTS by 25 points at the SCG in round three, as opposed to two in the return fixture, and Davis said one of the major differences in the two games, was the quality of supply.
"Anytime you play on a player of Lance's quality, the midfield pressure is so important," Davis said.
"If they run it out of there with no pressure it makes it very hard.
"They were able to create opportunities in round three and move the ball quite freely from end to end, so pressure around the ball always makes the defender's job a lot easier.
"He's obviously a terrific athlete, but also reads the game so well.
"He's a really natural footballer which makes him pretty hard to stop.
"I'm very fortunate that each week I get to play on a very good player, and this week it's Lance, in a very big game.
"It's a really exciting opportunity and no doubt I'll have my hands full, but I'm looking forward to it."
Davis acknowledged his side's lack of finals experience, with Steve Johnson, Heath Shaw, Shane Mumford, Ryan Griffen, Callan Ward and Joel Patfull the only GIANTS to have tasted September action, but said he's confident it won't be an issue at ANZ Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
"Obviously it would be nice to have finals experience throughout the group, because that means you've been there and done that before," he said.
"But with the way our group has been constructed, we unfortunately don't have that.
"We've got six players (with finals experience) and I think they've got 16, but to be honest, football is football.
"We're ready to go, we understand what the pressure is going to be like, but it's about controlling the momentum swings of the game, and hopefully we can do that well.
"You've got to lean on the blokes that have experience and talk to them, and understand from them what their focuses have been, and what they've been able to do to win finals."
The GIANTS' first final against their cross-town rivals has created plenty of interest in Sydney, with a crowd in excess of 60,000 expected to turn out in perfect weather for footy.
It makes for a massive occasion and a furious opening to the biggest Sydney Derby in history.
"I think it's going to be a highly contested game, it always is," he said.
"It's a tough game, I'm not too sure there'll be niggle, but I do know there's a side here and a side over there that want to win a game of footy and win a preliminary final.
"We'll be going as hard as we can at the footy to get the result."
