GIANTS co-captain Phil Davis will analyse West Coast backman Mitch Brown's recent performance against Lance Franklin when preparing to play on the athletic forward this Saturday. 

The GIANTS defender will likely line up on the Sydney Swans' new acquisition in the season's first Battle of the Bridge at Spotless Stadium. 

With Franklin only playing against the Eagles this pre-season before a half in a practice match against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday, Davis said there wasn't much recent evidence to go on when looking at how to curtail the two-time Coleman medallist. 

But Brown's performance, which saw Franklin held goalless and limited to six touches in the Blacktown hit-out last month, will give Davis an insight. 

"I think Mitch Brown a few weeks ago did a really good job on him, so I'll probably go and look at that and see how he played him and get an idea of what he did," Davis told SEN on Wednesday morning. 

"I'll have to really have a decent look because [Franklin's] only really played four, five quarters, which is not ideal.

"However, he's such a great player I always go off his best form and look at that and what he's doing then.

"We'll check those four or five quarters and see if it's any different to what he's done previously."

Davis, who crossed to the GIANTS from Adelaide for the 2012 season, is experienced when it comes to crosstown rivalries and clashes between the teams. 

He said he felt the Battle of the Bridge occasion was growing as the GIANTS improved and gathered more support.

"Coming from the Showdown, which has been around for years and years in Adelaide, I feel as though this one has definitely gained momentum, especially in the last 12 months," he said. 

"I think early on there wasn't a lot, and they didn't really have a lot of time for us because we were the new kids on the block and how we were going.

"But I think as it goes along definitely the rivalry is building, and as we get better, I think from this year we'll be very competitive and hopefully this can be our first win in the battle."

Named co-captain for his – and the club's - first season in the competition two years ago at the age of 21, Davis admitted he had encountered challenges along the way. 

He named Luke Power, James McDonald, Chad Cornes and Dean Brogan as the older heads who had supported him through those times, and said it had helped fellow youngster Callan Ward had been in the same position. 

Davis said he was over the back injury that cost him nine games last year and was ready for a big season, with the backline reinforced by the acquisition of Josh Hunt and Heath Shaw.