COLLINGWOOD announced last week that Dane Swan would miss up to a month of football with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but even when he returns it's highly likely he may still be troubled by the injury.

 

Swan has chronic plantar fascia inflammation under his heel, which is most likely associated with a small tear. This goes some way to explaining why he's been spending more time up forward as he will have been quite limited in his running capacity.  

 

The Pies have decided Swan will undergo conservative treatment rather than surgery and he will benefit from three to four weeks unloading, but there is still some risk his heel pain may recur.

 

Chronic plantar fascia injuries are hard to overcome during the season.

 

If it's simply inflammation you can treat it with oral anti-inflammatories, occasionally a cortisone injection and some time off, but footballers with a running level like Swan's are more likely to have suffered small tears.

 

If that's the case, it's not just a matter of giving a player a few weeks off to 'cure' the condition.

 

So if the Pies make the finals, Swanny may have to play with injections.

 

In better news for Collingwood fans, forward Jamie Elliott is expected to return from a hamstring injury in this Sunday's big clash against Adelaide.

 

Elliott was injured in round 15 against Carlton, and Collingwood has been putting him through the normal four-week rehabilitation program.

 

I expect Elliott to complete unrestricted training this week and be available for selection.

 

The Crows expect forward Josh Jenkins to be fit to take on the Magpies, but midfielders Scott Thompson and David Mackay face fitness tests later this week.

 

Jenkins injured his ankle against Hawthorn in round 17 before the Crows' bye last weekend and has undergone 10 days of treatment and light training.

 

Jenkins has made good progress and the Crows are expecting him to be able to train this week with the ankle strapped.

 

Thompson came out of the Crows' round 16 game against Greater Western Sydney with a bleed (cork) in his left hamstring. Surprisingly, he played in round 17, but ended up being substituted out in the final quarter with some further soreness in the hamstring.

 

The reports are that Thompson has trained well in the last four to five days and, with the benefit of the bye last weekend and the fact we're talking about a bleed rather than a tear, I suspect he will play against the Pies.

 

Mackay is coming off a left hamstring injury he suffered in round 16. With the Crows' bye, he's had two weeks off, but he is only an outside chance to return this Sunday.

 

I'm expecting Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson to be passed fit for a likely match-up with former teammate Lance Franklin in the Hawks' huge clash with the Sydney Swans this Saturday night.

 

Gibson tore his left pectoralis major tendon in the Hawks' round eight loss to the Swans, the same round that Western Bulldog Tory Dickson suffered a similar injury.

 

I think Gibson would have taken heart from seeing Dickson return for the Western Bulldogs' VFL team last weekend and emerge unscathed.

 

At the time of Gibson and Dickson's injuries we said 10 weeks out was the best-case scenario, and Dickson came back successfully in that timeframe.

 

Gibson's last three weeks of training have been very positive and I'm expecting him to play this Saturday night.

 

He will, however, have to be careful with his tackling technique and avoid the wide-armed tackle, which is a high-risk position and better known in NRL circles as the rugby tackle.

 

The Swans will be hoping to welcome back spearhead Kurt Tippett against the Hawks.

 

Tippett had an arthroscopy of his right knee after round 12 for a meniscus tear and, apart from a one-off return in round 15, has been sidelined since.

 

A meniscus tear affects the cushioning and shock absorption in the knee and, as an unwelcome complication of that, Tippet has now developed bone bruising in his knee.

 

So what the club expected to be a two-week interruption has now strung out to seven weeks.

 

Tippett is most likely going to have to manage his knee for the rest of his career, much like St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt and other players do.

 

Essendon announced on Monday that young forward Joe Daniher would undergo surgery for a broken clavicle after teammate Cale Hooker fell on him at training.

 

Daniher suffered a crack without a separated break, which is a less serious injury.

 

The club expected he would potentially play in three to four weeks after he had a plate inserted in the clavicle on Tuesday – without surgery he would miss between six and eight weeks minimum.

 

Teammate Michael Hibberd developed a tightening in the thigh last Sunday against the Western Bulldogs in what was his first game back after a two-week absence with a sprained ankle and tight hamstring.

 

Hibberd's thigh injury did not progress to a tear and Essendon is confident that with treatment he will not miss any games.

 

It was sad to see Western Bulldogs youngster Clay Smith sustain his second anterior cruciate ligament rupture within a year in the VFL last weekend.

 

Smith will now go in for his second knee reco and will have a revision traditional procedure using hamstring graft tendons from his opposite leg.

 

The big injury news on Tuesday was that Greater Western Sydney young gun Jeremy Cameron will undergo season-ending left ankle surgery.

 

After his 2013 All Australian season, Cameron has struggled this year under a litany of injuries that have also included a right ankle injury and perforated eardrum.

 

Cameron suffered his latest injury in round 13 against the Brisbane Lions and has no doubt been performing below the form he showed in 2013. He decided it was in his long-term interests to have surgery this week rather than risk further injury to his ankle.

 

The Giants are confident Cameron will be ready to start 2015 training on schedule in November.