AS LANCE "Buddy" Franklin lined up for a set-shot at goal, a trio of opponents scurried into position. They formed a line along Buddy's left from the man standing the mark foxing, waiting as though for the flag to drop to charge at him.

It was as if Franklin was on the right-hand point post and they didn't want him to play on and widen his angle in his shot at goal. But Franklin wasn't on the boundary line, he was 45 metres out and on no particular angle. In his case, the others know how he likes to kick the ball and that means running out on an arc on his left side to swing his boot through the ball. They wanted to deny him that arc, and upset his natural kick.

So the three players hovered in a line, call it the Buddyline, until Franklin took his first step out wide and the play-on call was given for them to run in to pressure and tackle.

It is not a new tactic but it is one seemingly being used to some effect against the AFL's most irresistible force.

Against Richmond, whether by design or coincidence, it became clear that when Franklin was shooting at goal he was doing so with Tiger players along his left-hand line. The result was that he had to run straighter in his kicking action and he converted poorly (1.7 that day). Certainly not all that inaccuracy would be ascribed to this theory but it would appear it did not hurt.

Collingwood in the next round also presented similarly, and players could regularly be seen asking the umpire how close they could get as they lined up, waiting for Franklin to step wide on his kicking arc.

It was in the final quarter of that game that Dale Thomas gave away a 50-metre penalty for stepping over the permissible mark on Franklin's left side.

The use of the Buddyline is employed in some form with other left-footers but it would appear with Franklin, clubs are more vigilant about trying to set up this way to influence him, even though against Collingwood he still managed to kick 6.4.

Left-footers, in particular, appear to more commonly push out wider on an arc when kicking long so that they can swing their leg through the ball.

"Forward coaches, in particular, are very strong that left-footers run wider than right-footers and that you have to put up a line to pressure them - whether that's physical or mental pressure to get in their heads so they think they can't kick their natural way - but definitely clubs are doing that with Buddy," said one club insider who preferred not to be named.

"You only have to look at a few of the recent games to see what they are doing. Because the other thing is Buddy is a not a confident kick for goal. He has always been a bit hot and cold so he might be a bit more susceptible to that sort of pressure than other players."

In the end it may prove valuable for Franklin as it forces him to straighten the biomechanics of his kicking.

While Buddyline is used for Franklin once he has the ball, clubs are also attempting to limit him getting it in the first place. For that there is the Buddyblock.

This equally, is not new, for players have long been asked to drop in the hole in front of forwards to block their run. The difference with Franklin is that the hole appears to be a fairly specific area on the ground - about 40 metres out from goal on a 45-degree angle.

Heat maps are used in football to plot the ground players cover and illustrate where they run to most and, therefore, where they get the ball most. With Franklin, those maps reveal a very clear picture of where he does his damage and that is about 40 to 50 metres out on the right-hand side (when looking up the ground from the goal square) on a 45-degree angle from goal. This is not his exclusive preference, but it is his preference.

Mark Williams has spent a week coaching Franklin in the Dream Team and he is even more familiar now with Buddy's domain. Port Adelaide will have numbers through the right-hand defensive flank.