Sydney superstar Lance Franklin returned to form against Collingwood, but the gun forward hasn't been magically cured of the heel problem he has carried all season.

Franklin's six goals helped the Swans to a crucial win over the Pies in a thriller at the SCG, with the West Australian's mobility and athleticism on show.

Swans coach John Longmire revealed before last week's loss to Essendon that the 31-year-old has struggled to train for most of the year, and he was well beaten by Essendon's Michael Hurley in round 19.

But while Franklin was able to increase his training load ahead of the Magpies clash, Longmire said it wasn't the reason his star had fired.

"He did about five minutes this week so that was a big improvement on previous weeks," he said with a laugh.

"He got on the track for part of a drill so that was good for him to keep working with our young forwards.

"We need to find other avenues (to goal) there's no question about that and if you look at the other names up there they're still learning and finding their way at senior level.

"They're going to have an impact at times but they're also going to be in and out of the game, and that’s OK."

Alex Johnson's stunning return to senior footy was the story of the week leading into the match, and the defender slotted in nicely despite fighting out of his weight class for most of the night.

Johnson had the job on Collingwood's giant Mason Cox and finished with 16 possessions and 11 marks.

"He had a big ask coming in and playing a fair bit of the game on a bloke who has been in pretty good form in Mason Cox," Longmire said.

"What we thought we'd get from him was a competitive effort and that’s what we got.

"He got a taste of what AFL footy is all about for the first time in a long time, played an important role and helped us.

"Everyone admires the way he goes about it."

Veteran Jarrad McVeigh made a brilliant return after missing four games with a broken collarbone, with the defender’s 26 disposals and cool head vital in the win.