TWELVE months after the Sydney Swans crashed out of the 2011 premiership race in a semi-final defeat to Hawthorn, midfielder Dan Hannebery feels he owes a debt to his teammates.

In an elimination final against St Kilda the week before, Hannebery dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter before being substituted out of the game.

He admits he knew the shoulder wasn't right heading into the clash with the Hawks and, sure enough, it popped out again and he was forced back into the red substitute vest.

Injuries are an unavoidable part of football, but the earnest 21-year-old - who has played every game this year - has a little extra motivation for Saturday's qualifying final against Adelaide.

"Even though I did have an injury, I was disappointed with the Hawthorn game," he said.

"I felt I let a few guys down by not being able to fill my role for the whole game and play the way I wanted to play.

"In the back of my mind I was hoping I'd be right, but subconsciously I knew I wasn't 100 per cent.

"It does give you a bit of fire in the belly to want to give back this finals series.

"I want to make sure I help my teammates out and have a good impact for them."

Hannebery may feel he owes his fellow Bloods, but it is not a sentiment shared by his coach John Longmire, who is an unabashed admirer of his approach to football.

"He's got a really strong commitment to playing and to his teammates," Longmire told sydneyswans.com.au.

"You look at the courageous things he does in footy, whether it's [going back with the] flight of the ball or playing with injury, his courage is amazing.

"He really has a go and you know what you're going to get from him."

Despite the injury setbacks, Hannebery is grateful for the experience gained from last year's finals series.

The 2010 NAB Rising Star and some of his young teammates, like Sam Reid, Alex Johnson and Luke Parker, now know what to expect in September.

"It was a good opportunity last year for some of the young guys to get a taste for it," Hannebery said.

"We do have a lot of young guys on our list, but a lot of guys have played a few finals now and know what it's all about.

"You don't want to get too swept away with the whole week of finals, it's just another game of footy, although there is a bit more weight behind it.

"We just want to play good footy this week and go about business as we usually do."

Hannebery found himself in the news this week after he was involved in an incident with Steve Johnson that resulted in the Geelong star being suspended for this week's elimination final against Fremantle.

Cats football manager Neil Balme said the Swan had contributed to the suspension by not being aware of Johnson's presence.

Johnson then dragged a winded Hannebery off the ground in a moment some have suggested also could have been looked at by the Match Review Panel.

When asked about the incident, Hannebery said: "It was good of him to help me get up.

"I really did appreciate it.

"It was an incident that was over in a few seconds and was forgotten about by three-quarter time."

James Dampney covers AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD