ADAM Goodes has admitted he was "naïve" when he attempted a comeback from the longest injury layoff of his career.
Goodes' torn quadriceps muscle in round six against Adelaide sidelined him for almost seven weeks and when he returned against Geelong in round 13, the four-time All Australian was a shadow of his usual brilliant self.
The 32-year-old, who showed vastly improved signs in his second game back against Greater Western Sydney, conceded on Thursday he underestimated how he would fare in his return to the playing arena.
"I always thought I'd be back in six week and did all the right things to get myself back, but I was a little naïve to think I could come back and play to the standard I want to get to," Goodes said on Thursday.
"So it has been a little bit frustrating from that point of view, but I'm just happy to be back playing footy.
"To play a better role on the weekend felt really good and I felt I was running on top of the ground a lot better in that last quarter and I'm looking forward to playing bigger minutes this week."
While he has always been an extremely frustrated spectator, Goodes believes the long stint out could actually benefit him for the second half of the season.
Goodes and Shane Mumford have each faced time in the recovery room and if both can find their best leading into September, they could prove a nightmare for opposition teams.
"I like to think things happen for a reason and there's a reason why maybe I didn't have any injuries before this one," Goodes said.
"But to have that little rest and be feeling fresh at this time of year, a lot of players have played 13 games of footy and I've only played six, hopefully it is an advantage for myself and Shane for the back half of the year."
The Swans sit second with the AFL's best percentage, but only a single victory ahead of sixth-placed Hawthorn.
They also face a tricky run home, taking on West Coast, Collingwood, Geelong and the Hawks among their final nine games, but Goodes sees that as a positive.
"That's the best thing about the last nine games of the season, we get to play four of those teams vying for a top-four spot," he said.
"That's the challenge for us."
Goodes was also asked if he can see something special with the current Swans line-up and if there are any similarities with the side that claimed the 2005 premiership and lost the 2006 Grand Final.
"It's hard to compare," he said. "It's hard to believe it was seven years ago, those '05, '06 years.
"We can look at the ladder and we're 10-3, but you don't get comfortable with that.
"You're not going to make finals with 10 victories, so we know there's a lot of hard work ahead of us."
James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs
