SYDNEY'S young group has passed its first test, according to coach John Longmire, with the Swans presenting well after two months away from the club.
Stars from across the competition returned to their respective clubs for training on Monday, with players split into eight-man groups. Full contact drills will resume next week.
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Longmire said the Swans, who had more than half their list head interstate after the AFL announced its COVID-19 shutdown in March, had shown they had used their time away from the game to maintain strong fitness levels.
"We had 27 players who went from Sydney and spread out all over the country so we've been able to manage them remotely as best we can using all the available technology," the 2012 premiership coach said on Monday.
"Then really during that period it's up to them to self-manage and come back in the best possible shape. From the initial parts they look as though they're in pretty good shape.
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"For a young group, we're the equal second-youngest in the competition, it was an important period to see how they adjusted to that. So far they look pretty good."
The Swans' young core is considered one of the best in the competition, with Callum Mills, Ollie Florent, Will Hayward, Tom McCartin, Nick Blakey, Tom Papley and Ben Ronke among the players aged 23 or younger.
Longmire said the Swans would coordinate groups at different venues so there was no crossover, and that as senior coach he could only observe the sessions from afar.
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"It's a step towards normality but we're still not there because I'm up and down the middle [of the ground] and I still can't go to either groups, so that's a little bit different," he said.
"But there's still an excitement level amongst the players to be able to get back and have a run around and a kick amongst each other, even though it's only a few of them. It's still a really important start."
The Swans claimed a round one win over Adelaide without superstar forward Lance Franklin, but remain confident he will be available for their round two clash in about three weeks as he returns from knee surgery.
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The training block ahead of games resuming, Longmire said, was essential to prepare players' bodies for the bash-and-crash and frenetic nature of the game.
"It's an unusual build-up, we understand that, we need to make sure we don't put them at risk," he said.
"The whole three weeks is about conditioning them so they don't get injured. You can't teach a lot of game plan stuff or get them much fitter, it's essentially about conditioning them so we can prevent injury as much as we can."