‘He was probably our best player.’

Senior Coach Justin Longmuir had big wraps for defender Griffin Logue who kept Sydney forward Lance Franklin to just one goal at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

It was the second instalment of the ‘Griff v Buddy’ match-up in as many years, with Logue sent to Franklin in the absence of Fremantle key back Alex Pearce.

Logue produced a standout performance the last time the two sides met in WA, tallying seven marks from 19 disposals, and thwarting a number of Franklin’s opportunities in front of goal.

It was a game in which the versatile defender was lauded for his efforts, despite Franklin walking away with six goals to his name on the stats sheet.

This time, Franklin was held to just one goal, seven disposals and two marks.

Longmuir praised the strong positioning and contested work of Logue against one of the best forwards in the competition.

“I thought Griff did a good job. He won his one-on-ones, and the goal Buddy kicked I thought he had really good positioning,” Longmuir said post-game.

“Griff just lost his footing and good players just make you pay.

“I thought he was probably our best player and one of only a few winners we had across the day.”

Forward Bailey Banfield shared Longmuir’s sentiment, crediting Logue for keeping the 1030 career-goal star to just one major for the night.

“They had a lot of one-on-one contests, Griff seemed like he was right behind Buddy at every chance,” Banfield said.

“Griff looked strong when the ball hit the ground as well, so I think they had a really good tussle.

“Buddy only kicked one, so we’ll take that any day of the week.”