The Sydney Swans welcome back three big names in Lance Franklin, Jake Lloyd and Callum Mills to their team to face the Gold Coast Suns in Round 23 at Marvel Stadium.

Lance Franklin (managed) and Jake Lloyd (knee soreness) return after missing last week's game against the Kangaroos, meanwhile Callum Mills returns after two weeks on the sidelines with achilles soreness.

Co-captain Josh Kennedy will miss his first game of the 2021 season in the final game of the regular season. Kennedy reported hamstring tightness late in the Round 22 win over the Kangaroos and will continue to be monitored over the coming week.

The Gold Coast Suns have made three changes to their line up with Alex Davies making his debut and Jarrod Harbrow returning for his final game with the club. Rory Atkins also comes into the 22 with Jack Bowes (injured), Jacob Townsend (omitted) and Jeremy Sharp (omitted).

Sydney Swans defender Harry Cunningham will play his 150^th game.

WHERE TO WATCH AND FOLLOW

First bounce is at 1:45pm. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo and 7Mate In NSW. Follow our night @sydneyswans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Join the conversation and show your support with #Bloods and #AFLSwansSuns to share videos and photos of your celebration moments and more.

Keep up to date with our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts for all the latest news and behind-the-scenes action.

Download the Sydney Swans Official App, presented by Volkswagen, for LIVE scores and stats of every game delivered to your phone or tablet.

MEMBER THANK YOU ROUND

In the lead up to our Round 23 match against the Gold Coast Suns, the Sydney Swans will celebrate the outstanding commitment and contribution of 2021 members for Member Thank You Round. 

Earlier this month, we confirmed our official membership tally with 50,144 members continuing to show their support this season.

In what has been another challenging year for many people across the country, the support for the Club has once again been incredibly strong.

Sydney Swans members are a vital part of our team, and the club is truly grateful for the ongoing support this season.

STATS

Sydney enter this clash off a 14-point victory over a spirited North Melbourne side. Sitting sixth on the ladder, the side has had six victories in the past seven weeks and are guaranteed a spot in the finals next week.

The Gold Coast Suns sit 15^th on the ladder with one win in their past five games. They are coming off a 68-point defeat to Essendon.

Historically, the Suns hold the recent head to head advantage over Sydney, winning four of their last clashes, including a 40-point victory in Round 6 earlier this season.  

 KEY QUOTES

"Josh is a very important player and has been for a long time but we get Millsy back in who plays predominantly midfield as well," Longmire said on the team changes.

"It's good to have him as well as Lance and Jake back in the team, all are quality senior players and in our leadership group."

"We aspire to have a consistent performance every week, we want all areas of the ground to contribute," Longmire said.

"The last time we played the Suns they were very good and beat us comprehensively so we need to respect what they can do."

"It's fantastic to represent the Swans family, most importantly our members, the lifeblood of who we are and what we do every week," Longmire said on Member Thank You Round.

"Hopefully they have got some satisfaction from watching the boys run around every week.

"There's some parts of the country that have been doing it really tough this year but we want to thank all our members that have stuck by us, we feel so grateful and appreciate it."

SYDNEY has warmed up for the finals with a crushing 87-point win over Gold Coast at Marvel Stadium, where refreshed maestro Lance Franklin starred as he surged to within striking distance of a magical 1000-goal milestone.

Franklin, who was rested last week, booted six goals to equal his best haul of this season as the Swans triumphed 21.10 (136) to 6.13 (49).

The four-time Coleman medallist's career tally now stands at 992 goals.

The iconic forward is one big bag away from becoming the sixth man to kick 1000 goals in VFL/AFL history, with all eyes certain to be on the 34-year-old when Sydney 'host' an elimination final and continue their stint away from home that started on June 22.

Swans young gun Callum Mills, who returned on Saturday as he continues to manage Achilles tendonitis, looked in discomfort early on then was eventually substituted in the third quarter.

There was otherwise a lot to like for Sydney coach John Longmire, whose side boasted a 40-point lead early in the second term before the Suns finally kicked their opening goal of the contest.

The Swans ended the regular season in emphatic fashion, comfortably and clinically making it seven victories from the final eight rounds.

It would be understandable if Longmire's charges went through the motions, especially given the absence of a pre-finals bye.

But Sydney's masterclass in pressure, capacity to repeatedly play on and move the ball quickly, precisely and potently meant it was anything but a perfunctory win.

Franklin led the way, setting the tone when he slotted the game's opening goal after just 23 seconds.

The superstar moved freely, flew for marks, attacked the football fiercely and outmuscled and outwitted opponents in a display that bodes well for the Swans' hopes of doing some damage in September.

Luke Parker, Tom Hickey, Jake Lloyd and Jordan Dawson also enjoyed productive hit-outs in their finals tune-up, while Tom Papley, Isaac Heeney, Hayden McLean and Sam Wicks booted a combined ten goals.

Ben King's four goals were among few positives for Suns coach Stuart Dew, who on Friday brushed off a Nine Network report that he will soon be sacked by a club that has failed to qualify for finals since entering the league in 2011.

Dew's charges briefly stemmed the bleeding in the second term but never came close to a victorious farewell for retiring foundation players Jarrod Harbrow and Zac Smith.

It was a particularly unfitting end for Harbrow, who was subbed off late in the final term with an apparent shoulder injury.

Mills pushes through pre-finals pain

Callum Mills missed the past two matches with Achilles soreness that he has managed throughout much of the season but was recalled for what was almost a dead rubber game for the Swans. The 24-year-old didn't look comfortable in the pre-game warm-up and was sitting on the sidelines just seven minutes into the match with concerns over his right foot. Mills was limping again when the teams returned after half-time but played on until late in the third term before being subbed out. The defender-turned-midfielder had 18 disposals and a goal by that stage but with the game effectively settled much earlier it was curious to see a key player pushing through pain on the eve of finals.

SYDNEY                       6.4       9.7       13.7      21.10 (136)
GOLD COAST               0.4       3.8       5.9        6.13 (49)  

GOALS
Sydney: Franklin 6, Papley 3, Heeney 3, Wicks 2, McLean 2, Mills, Dawson, Gulden, Hickey, Rowbottom
Gold Coast: King 4, Corbett, Sexton

BEST
Sydney: Franklin, Dawson, Heeney, Hickey, Parker, McInerney, Lloyd
Gold Coast: Miller, Anderson, Harbrow, Davies, Fiorini

INJURIES
Sydney: Mills (TBC)
Gold Coast: Harbrow (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Fox (replaced Mills)
Gold Coast: Sharp (replaced Harbrow)

Crowd: 0 at Marvel Stadium