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SYDNEY Swans champion Adam Goodes will return to the club on Tuesday to train and should be ready to take on Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.
Goodes rang senior coach John Longmire on Sunday afternoon to tell him of his decision to come back to the club and resume his stellar career against the Cats.
There were fears that the dual Brownlow medallist might walk away from the game after taking extended leave last week, but Longmire said his star was overwhelmed with the show of support from everyone involved in football in round 18.
Goodes took leave after being the subject of persistent booing in recent weeks.
"I don't think he had intentions to watch the game, but he ended up watching the final three quarters," Longmire said.
"We as a football club are extremely grateful for the amount of support from the football community, whether they be coaches, clubs, players and supporters - it's been amazing.
"Adam is especially humbled by it.
"The feeling of goodwill that was at this ground on Saturday was incredible and certainly didn't go unnoticed by the club or Adam.
"It was a pretty special day."
Goodes has spent some time with family away from Sydney in a bid to get away from the pressure of the footy environment, and it seems to have improved his state of mind significantly according to his coach.
Longmire said that if the club's record games holder gets through training and declares himself physically and mentally ready to go, then he'll be picked to take on Geelong.
Having Goodes back at the Swans will no doubt provide his teammates with an enormous lift, and the coach believes it will no doubt be extremely beneficial for the veteran himself.
"He sounded really good and in a positive state of mind," Longmire said.
"He just wants to get back to training and get back to doing the things he loves doing, whether that’s training or playing, and I think it would be great if we can really support him in that.
"It's something he's done for a long period of time, and however long his career may go, hopefully he gets to enjoy those games and running around the football ground.
"It's something that they (his teammates) really appreciate, it's not often you get to play with a bloke who's played 360-odd games of league football, won two Brownlows, and countless All Australian jumpers.
"It's something you want to really want to savour and our players do that."
With the amount of media scrutiny on his situation and the very strong stance taken by the AFL community in round 18, it was no surprise to see an overwhelming response for Goodes at the SCG on Saturday night.
What reception the two-time premiership Swan receives away from home remains to be seen, however Longmire hopes Geelong fans will show Goodes plenty of respect, and he left no doubt as to what type of reaction he expects at the Cattery.
"An atmosphere (in) that you appreciate one of the greats that's played the game, it's pretty simple," Longmire said.
"That’s all Adam would expect as well.
"What we are confident about is the Geelong football club and what they're about and what they stand for.
"We have a lot of respect for that football club, for their CEO, for their chairman, for their captain, their playing group and their supporters.
"They're a quality organization and we look forward to going down the highway this week and having a really good, strong, competitive game against the Cats because that’s what you know you're going to get."
Longmire said that his conversation with Goodes was all about the present and short-term future, and that his playing career beyond this season was never discussed.
Goodes has played 365 games for the Swans but isn't expected to extend his career into an 18th season in 2016.
