It will have been 324 long days since Sam Naismith pulled on a Swans guernsey, when he runs out for Sydney’s VFL side against Collingwood tomorrow.

Two knee surgeries have kept the 28-year-old on the sidelines for the most part of three seasons, with seemingly endless challenges thrown his way in his road to recovery. 

“It was very frustrating coming off two years of playing senior footy, I had my spot locked in and then I go down with the ACL injury. I then had a few complications trying to come back from that," Naismith said.

"I managed to make my way back to the reserves at the end of the 2019 season. I started Round 1 of 2020 then Covid-19 happened. It was a frustrating disruption to my training – I wasn’t able to continue the strength work, the rehab and everything I had put a lot of hard work into.

"I was a little bit understrength heading into the round 4 clash against the Bulldogs, my knee didn’t stand up well enough and I’ve had time off since.“

During his struggles to return from injury, Naismith tragically lost his sister to pancreatic cancer. If not for support from the club and his teammates, Naismith admits he wouldn’t have had the strength to return. 

“The love and support I’ve had from the footy club has been great. They’ve supported me with the off-field stuff and the on-field stuff. That’s definitely been a driving factor to come back, wanting to be a part of the group and get out there and play," Naismith said.

"My family things really put into perspective that it’s just an ACL injury, it’s not that bad compared to what other people are going through. 

"You don’t realise how much of a family the footy club is until you actually need it.”

Despite being forced to sit on the sidelines, Naismith has enjoyed watching the Swans grow into a competitive team which he believes is matching it with some of the AFL’s best sides in 2021.

“Coming out of last year was quite disappointing, we weren’t winning too many games and that’s down to a lot of different factors but I think coming into this year we’ve got a really positive group," he said.

"We know what works and everyone’s bought in. It’s no real surprise to the playing group that we’re competitive this year, we know what it takes to win and instilling that in the young players and giving them a taste of what winning is like is infectious.“

In Naismith’s absence the Swans have seen the success of Tom Hickey in the ruck, with the 30-year-old relishing his opportunity in the middle.

“Tom’s been great since he came to the club, he’s brought a wealth of knowledge, he’s a competitive beast and that’s all you can ask for when someone comes into the team. When I’m back to being fully fit and in form, I’d love to play with him if the opportunity is there," he said.

"The addition of Hickey brings with it some healthy competition to fill the ruck position. Naismith’s only focus though is to remain fit, as he looks to put years of injury struggles behind him and return to doing what he loves.

“I’m not too concerned about where I’m sitting with footy, I just want to get back to enjoying it because it’s something I love. I had fallen out of love with it, now the enjoyment’s back and I just can’t wait to get out there.“