Sydney have received mixed news on the fitness front before they tackle a resurgent Geelong side, who Swans coach John Longmire says have exciting football in their DNA.
Longmire confirmed on Monday that boom rookie Isaac Heeney would miss four to six weeks with a posterior cruciate injury to his knee, but said in-form midfielder Dan Hannebery had pulled up fine from an ankle issue and would play against the Cats at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
He reported midfielder Jake Lloyd had a bruised and swollen ankle following the win over Melbourne, but was expected to train on Thursday and hoped he would available for Saturday's match.
Longmire and his coaches went to the MCG the night before their clash with the Demons and watched the Cats knock off higher placed Collingwood.
"They were at their best, particularly in the first half and we know what Geelong at their best are capable of doing," Longmire said.
"They play an exciting brand of football there's no about that, that's in their DNA.
"We need to keep improving and we'll get a good test this week against the Cats."
He dismissed any suggestion the 3-3 Cats were a declining force.
"No, no, no, Geelong football club are a fantastic footy club, it's been proven time and time again, so they don't need to prove it to anybody," Longmire said.
Heeney's injury could theoretically mean more game time for veteran and fellow forward Adam Goodes, who came on as substitute for the youngster last weekend.
However, Longmire stressed he wasn't averse to using the same substitute for two, or even three, successive matches and emphasised Goodes got a decent slab of game time against the Demons.
"Adam came on just before halftime, so it wasn't as if he only played 15 minutes," said Longmire, who described Goodes as "a terrific team man."
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