An upcoming closed training session looms as D-Day for Sydney pair Sam Reid and Justin McInerney ahead of the AFL grand final.
Reid remains a significant doubt for Saturday's clash with Geelong, following the adductor injury he suffered during last weekend's epic preliminary final win over Collingwood.
McInerney has foot soreness, which only became apparent when he joined Reid in missing Tuesday's open training session.
The Swans will fly to Melbourne after going through their paces behind closed doors on Thursday, ahead of the weekend clash at the MCG.
Asked about Reid and McInerney, coach John Longmire said Thursday's closed session would allow decisions to be made.
"We expect them to do some training tomorrow ... we'll see how they go," Longmire told SEN on Wednesday morning.
While Reid and McInerney were prominent absentees at Tuesday's training, there was considerable excitement in the wake of Lance Franklin's announcement that he will play on next season.
Longmire said the star forward wanted the news out as soon as possible.
"It's terrific news for us," Longmire said.
"We talked about it internally, 'Do we do it this week?'. But he was really keen to say, 'Listen, let's get it done and dusted, otherwise the focus might be is it my last game?', and he didn't want that to happen.
"He wanted the focus to be on the grand final ... he's just thinking about the team."
Sydney will start as underdogs on Saturday and Longmire was happy to play up that perception.
Asked if he could see a hole in Geelong's game, he laughed and said "not really".
"They've won 15 games in a row. They've finished two games clear at the top of the ladder and so they're a fantastic team.
"They're playing the best footy of anyone.
"So we understand it's going to be a real challenge, but we're confident in what we've been doing and our players and their ability to stick to the task.
"It's going to be a great grand final."
Longmire wants his players to enjoy grand final week, noting the last couple of years have given them plenty of experience in dealing with different situations.
"Experience tells you to embrace it. Roll with it a bit," he said.
"The last couple of years, we've travelled all over the country, with COVID (restrictions) in hubs, and had all sorts of things thrown at us at different times.
"Just use that experience. Things won't be perfect, but it will be OK."
