SYDNEY Swans defender Ted Richards expects to line up on Buddy Franklin when Hawthorn visit the SCG on Saturday and he has already worked out his best tactic - calling for help.

Franklin had missed the past five weeks with a hamstring injury and was then withdrawn from the Hawks side to face Gold Coast on Sunday with a virus.

But Richards is preparing to face him this week when the Swans will attempt to retain top spot on the ladder against the second-placed Hawks.

And he knows he will have his hands full, despite Franklin's layoff.

"I'll probably start with calling for help," Richards told reporters at a recovery session at Bondi Beach on Monday.

"Hoping the ball doesn't come down too much is another big area.

"I don't know, I just work with my other defenders and try to make it as hard for him as possible.

"At the same time, he's got that many strengths to his game - he's quick, he's got great marking, great kicking - I just hope for the best."

If he does line up on the superstar forward, Richards need only reflect on the last time he faced Franklin - in round five this year - to garner some confidence.

Richards limited him to four marks and just three behinds that day as the Swans registered an impressive 37-point win in Launceston.

"I played on him last time, I played on him last year as well, and he's an incredible player," Richards said.

"I'll be doing my homework on him.

"We'll have a look at what we did [earlier this year] because it definitely worked.

"But at the same time, they're a team that has really improved over the last two months."

Whether Franklin takes his place in the forward line or not, Richards knows he and the rest of the Swans' defensive unit will face a tough task at the SCG.

The Hawks are comfortably the AFL's highest scoring side this season, with others picking up the slack in front of goal in Franklin's absence.

"He gets a lot of attention, but there are a lot of other guys that can kick bags of goals," Richards said.

"Off the top of my head I can remember Jordan Lewis kicking a big bag this year, Jarryd Roughead, and plenty of other guys can too.

"It's not just going to be us focusing on one player.

"As defenders we'll be looking at their six forwards and I should imagine the mids will be working hard to make sure they get no goals from stoppages."

Richards felt 2012 had been his "most consistent" season, but was quick to deflect any suggestion of a first All Australian guernsey this year.

He did concede, however, that matches against the Hawks and then the Cats in Geelong in round 23 could be the ideal launching pad into the finals.

"The challenge is there the next two weeks with two really good quality teams and there's an opportunity to launch into the finals with some really big wins and get some confidence from those," he said.

"Right now we're just focusing on Hawthorn, but we are aware of the opportunity that's there."

James Dampney covers AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD