Sydney coch Dean Cox is "hopeful" key forward Logan McDonald will be available for selection sometime this year ahead of another round of surgery.
McDonald will go under the knife on a troublesome ankle issue that has plagued him since the end of last season, with the tall attacker yet to be seen at AFL this year.
The Swans won't know the likely return timeframe for McDonald until after the procedure, however the Swans forward will likely need at least a month post-operation.
Asked with McDonald could miss the entire season, Cox said the club is hopeful fans will see McDonald in full flight this year.
"The exact timeframe we won't know until post-surgery. We'll get more clarification once that happens," Cox said on Thursday.
"As soon as you're having surgery, you know it's not a two or four-week injury. So we've got to support Logan.
"It's the best thing for him to get back and play his best football.
"You're always hopeful (he returns this season). Once the surgeon goes in there and looks at exactly what's wrong, fixes what he has to and then give you a timeframe... we'll give some more perspective.
"Hopefully, it's not a long one."
Senior pair Callum Mills (foot) and Taylor Adams (hamstring) are both nearing returns after long spells on the sidelines, with the former flagged as a potential selection option in the coming weeks.
While non-committal on Mills' Round 10 selection chances, the Swans coach has been pleased with the skipper's workloads.
Adams could be in the frame for minutes at VFL level this week, having hit full training over the past week.
"[Mills] trained twice last week, he'll train again today and over the weekend. We're making sure we build the volume,"
"When we get to next week, we'll work out how much he has done and what he needs to do.
"One thing we've learnt over the period is that if you plan exact dates for when they're coming back, then it becomes really tough.
"[Adams] trained fully on the weekend. We opted not to play VFL footy for him last week in a restricted timeframe.
"He'll get through training today and then be available, whether that's with [the AFL side] or he needs one VFL game.
"He's spent a fair bit of time out, so we'll assess and talk about that."
Star midfielder Errol Gulden is back running as he looks to overcome an ankle injury from the pre-season in what is another positive for Cox.
Fringe defender Will Edwards has put his name forward for a debut with strong VFL form, however has pulled up sore from the weekend, while second-year talent Patrick Snell has also been in strong form but may need to wait for a maiden senior game.
Sydney, who face Essendon at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, could move into the top eight with a second straight victory.
