Longmire said Lance Franklin (soreness) and Mike Pyke (illness), who have both missed just one match, would almost certainly come back into the side, with Josh Kennedy (hamstring), Ben McGlynn (calf) and Craig Bird (knee) also strong chances of returning this week.
“We’re hoping that all of those blokes train this week,” Longmire told reporters on Monday.
“They’ll have to train and they’ll have to do some work on Tuesday and then train Thursday, and if they do that, they will obviously be available for selection.
“You’d have to say that certainly Pykey and Lance will come into the team after only missing the one game.
“The other three (Kennedy, McGlynn, Bird), I guess I’m confident that they will be right to play, but they’ll need to train this week and if they train this week then they’ll be right in the hunt.”
The health of the Swans’ list heading into the 2014 finals series is a stark contrast to what the club experienced at the same time last season, with a host of senior players including Adam Goodes, Rhyce Shaw, Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid, Tom Mitchell and Lewis Jetta among those unavailable to take part in some or all of the Swans’ 2013 finals campaign.
Longmire said the club had benefitted from a much better run with injury so far in 2014, which has led to the players feeling much fresh at this point of the season.
“Certainly 12 months ago we were a little bit buggered coming in (to finals),” Longmire said.
“We were having a real go at trying to get some players back into the team and were just a little bit tired going in, but we still had a go and we only got beaten by 25 points over in Perth.
“This year we’ve certainly had players available to play throughout the course, not just in the one position, so we’ve been a bit more flexible.
“How that stands up, we’ll have to wait and see in the coming weeks.
“We think our planning has been pretty good, but it’s yet to be tested.”
It’s been more than four months since the Swans last played Fremantle, in what resulted in a 17-point victory to the home side at the SCG.
The match, which saw the Swans record 102 tackles for the match, also marked a turning point for the club, who went on to win the next 11 matches after losing three of their opening four matches.
Longmire said that while a lot of time had passed since the Swans’ last encounter with the Dockers, he expected defensive pressure would again be the key to his team’s success.
“We take (confidence) in the fact that we had 100 tackles and had to put enormous pressure on,” he said.
“We know that this week we’ve got the number one and number two defensive teams in the competition in the home and away season and both teams pride themselves on their defensive work.
“Fremantle’s ability certainly in recent times to be able to hit the scoreboard has really gone through the roof, so we look forward to that contest.
“We know any game against Fremantle you’re going to have to be right in it, but we pride ourselves on our pressure as well.
“Whether it be our tackles or pressure on the opposition’s kicking, we make sure that we put enormous pressure on the ball carrier and I’m sure that’s a focus for both teams going in this week.”
Longmire said his team was looking forward to the challenge of taking on the Dockers at ANZ Stadium, and identified the match as a huge opportunity to press forward in this year’s finals series.
“To be able to have a home final is fantastic for this footy club,” he said.
“When you start off in the pre-season way back in November, it’s to be able to achieve a home final in the first week, and to be able to do that and play there this week is fantastic.
“It’s an opportunity that we’re looking forward to.”
