Sydney Swans coach John Longmire is hopeful Lance Franklin, Jake Lloyd and Callum Mills will return to play the Gold Coast Suns in the final game of the regular season but insists their inclusion will be dependent on their recovery as the week progresses.

The Swans were without Franklin (managed) in their 14-point victory over North Melbourne on Saturday evening while Mills (achilles), who was a late withdrawal from their Round 21 clash against St Kilda, and Lloyd (knee soreness), were also sidelined as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.

Their impending returns, which was yet to be confirmed by Longmire, couldn't be more timely as they are made to rue the season-ending injury to Nick Blakey (fibula), while the fitness of Josh Kennedy is also under question after he suffered a hamstring strain in the dying stages of the Kangaroos game. 

"Well there's three handy 'ins' we hope to get back, with Mills, Lloyd and Franklin coming in, so that helps buffer the pain of losing a few decent players straight up," Longmire said.

"So we will wait to see how the rest of the week progresses, and see what the team looks like (then).

"Our reserves in the last couple of weeks have been playing really good footy and we will see if we have to make any more changes in the next day or two.

"Off the cuff, we expect that if those three are right to play then they will come back in."

"We wanted to get some specific training into [Franklin], some really high-speed running during the week, which is as much about injury prevention as anything,” Longmire added.

"We're hoping Mills will be OK to come back in as well, he won't be 100 per cent but he hasn't been for the majority of the year anyway. We expect him to be available this week.”

Their inclusions will be a major boost to the side on the brink of the finals, with the three combining for 599-games experience, and proving to be key cogs in the Bloods surge to September for the first time since 2018.

The AFL today announced the pre-finals bye will be scrapped to allow for flexibility during such uncertain times, and instead will be held over and, in the event it is required, be available to use across the finals series or in the lead up to the AFL Grand Final.

Longmire says their approach towards the business end of the season will not change given the announcement, and is confident the club's 'living in the moment' mentality will manage the unpredictability and challenges of COVID-19.

"It all depends on what your circumstances are and whether you get injuries. If you look at Josh Kennedy (for example), he probably would have appreciated the bye...so you very much look through your own eyes at the time.

"Each club does, as far as what you need or don't need, but I don't think it's worth considering too much, because the decision will be the decision, whether you like it or not, you have to do it so you get on with it.

"That's the attitude we have approached this the whole time since we've been on the run."