Hamstrung Franklin to miss at least two more games
Lance Franklin has suffered a setback in his comeback from a hamstring injury, but Sydney have not ruled out the superstar forward returning this year to play his 300th game.
While speedster Harry Cunningham's season is over, ruckman Sam Naismith will make his comeback this weekend from a knee injury in the reserves.
Franklin has not played since breaking down in the Swans' win over Hawthorn in round 14 and is set to miss at least another two games after complications with his sciatic nerve, which is preventing him from running at full speed.
It means he will have missed a minimum of six games, on top of the four matches he was sidelined for earlier in the year with what was initially diagnosed as a minor hamstring strain.
His games tally this year will be the lowest of his career, which started in 2005. The 32-year-old still has three years to run on his blockbuster nine-year deal.
"Lance had a medium hamstring strain four weeks ago and it was a really similar size one to the injury he had earlier in the year and to the same part of the muscle," the Swans' head physiotherapist Matt Cameron said.
"The muscle from testing has slowly improved over that time and looks to have virtually fully healed.
"Over the last couple of weeks, he has developed some complications with his sciatic nerve that runs from your back through your pelvis and into your hamstring.
"Unfortunately, that is giving him some symptoms in his hamstring. It just doesn't allow him to get out of a jog at the moment.
"At this stage, it rules him out of this week and it also means he won’t be prepared to play for next week, but we are hoping to have him back running, training and playing towards the end of the year."
Cunningham is expected to need surgery after reinjuring his groin.
"His whole groin region has now become unsettled and unstable, so it is now something we feel we are going to have to operate on in order to stabilise it," Cameron said.