IF TOM Papley is arguably the best small forward in the competition (Charlie Cameron his closest competitor) then there is no debate the Sydney goalkicker is the best celebrator in the AFL (although Cameron comes close).

The Swans star's energised runs after goals – his GPS would likely see an increase in speed after a goal rather than before it – combined with outstretched arms, open mouth, extended finger and a roar has become part of the Papley package.

"The adrenaline kicks in," Papley told AFL.com.au this week. "I tell myself 'Just take it easy' before the game but it just comes out and the passion in me comes out. That's just the way I am. If people don't like it, stuff 'em.

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"Usually when I watch them back I shake my head thinking 'What am I doing?' Anyway, it's what I love doing – kicking goals and having fun."

Papley has had plenty of fun this year and hopes there's more to come with his Sydney side one win away from making the Grand Final. But things didn't start to plan, after a pre-season hamstring injury saw the 26-year-old miss his first big chunk of games through injury.

He sat out the first six weeks as the club kept a cautious approach with their gun forward, who was named an All-Australian for the first time in 2021. At the time, Papley was frustrated by his extended break but now he sees its benefits.

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"I'd had my best pre-season and was in pretty good form out of the pre-season, but it was disappointing," he said. "I hadn't had [a hamstring] before and it was a bit different, I probably took a month to get into it once I got back and then I got going again," he said.

"It was different and I'm probably feeling a little bit better than the other boys now because I didn't play those six or seven games and that's the way I think about it. When I stand next to my opponent or something like that I think I've got that wood on them and I'm a bit fresher."

Papley spent those weeks on the sidelines watching the game from the coaches box or interchange bench, learning a little more about the Swans' plans with a different viewpoint.

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"I liked that. It was good for when you get back out there as well, you're thinking about other stuff like the structures and things that are unfolding during the game and I think it's helped me with that. You see the stuff we talk about and why we do it because you can see it unfolding when you don't do it," he said.

When Papley came back, he felt unusually rusty and unable to get into games, feeling not quite at his best for a number of weeks despite hitting the scoreboard.

"I was probably out of form and I was struggling trying to fight that form. I haven't really been out of form for that long – I've had a few quieter games and then come back but I had four or five in a row and it was frustrating," he said.

"Coming off my best season the year before and struggling to get back into it, it was frustrating, but I was still doing the same stuff and it turned for me. I think I've had a better year than last year, even considering the injury and things like that. I kept working hard and that was the main focus – just to train hard and know that it will turn and it did."

A change in role helped ignite Sydney's spark. Papley began to spend more time in the Swans' midfield, given licence by coach John Longmire to move around the ball and create play up the ground. It has been a major change in the Swans' progression to this weekend's preliminary final.

Champion Data shows Papley has this season spent nearly 20 per cent of his game time as a midfielder, up from 3.6 per cent last year. He has attended a career-high 8.1 centre bounces on average this season, an increase on 2.3 last year, which is the fifth-most at the Swans behind midfield mainstays Luke Parker, Chad Warner, Cal Mills and James Rowbottom.

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His impact has also been clear – when he has attended a centre bounce, the Swans have won the clearance 42.3 per cent of the time, which is ranked second of their midfielders behind Parker.

"It takes a bit to get your match fitness up but after a month I went through the centre bounces and it worked. The other boys and midfielders are very good and unselfish when they go out of the midfield. It can be a bit lonely down forward sometimes. If you ask any small forward it's a tough gig, so to get up there and get amongst it has been good," he said.

Still, Papley is paid to kick goals and he has booted 28 from 17 games this season so far. His score assists, score involvements and scoreboard impact have all risen this year on average despite his major midfield influence. He was particularly important in the Swans' qualifying final win over Melbourne, kicking two crucial goals from 15 disposals.

"It's always pretty nice playing well in a final. It's massive. You build yourself up for it all week and you dream about playing in big games, and it was good that we played well and I played well," he said. "Hopefully I can do that again this week and bring that energy and get the boys going."

Papley has played well in finals since he started at the Swans, kicking nine goals in his first three finals in his debut 2016 season. Sydney made the Grand Final that year but lost to the Western Bulldogs.

The Swans are now within reach of another flag decider if they can overcome the Magpies on Saturday night at the SCG, with Papley hopeful of having something to celebrate next week.

"2016 is a bit of a blur. It was my first year and you don't really understand how hard it is to get there," he said.

"And now you realise how hard a game it is and what we did in 2016 was pretty good. We obviously didn't get it done but to get where we did was a lot of hard work and you realise now. We're very privileged to be in the position we are, we just need to take the opportunity while it's here because it doesn't come around often."