LANCE Franklin is enjoying his best pre-season with the Sydney Swans, coach John Longmire says.

The three-time AFL Coleman medallist, who missed the 2015 finals series to undergo treatment for mental illness, is back in pre-season training after also having surgery on his finger in December.

"He's been terrific so far," Longmire told SEN radio.

"He's done all the training and a lot more than he has done for the last couple of pre-seasons.

"He's doing all the competitive work and he looks in great nick at the moment, he's really enjoying it."

Longmire also suggested Franklin's absence in last year's finals series had benefited the 29-year-old.

"For me as a coach to talk about how we want to win that week and a game-plan – as important as it is going into a final – it doesn't really resonate when you've got health issues to deal with," he said.

"That's the number one priority. That was the case last year and we've seen him bounce back in terrific form over the pre-season."

Longmire also conceded that co-captain Jarrad McVeigh was racing the clock to be fit for round one after returning from a knee operation.