Don't miss any of the news involving the Swans as we bring you everything from the newspapers around the country from Tuesday 15th September.

LANCE Franklin will not play for the rest of the year as the star Swans forward continues to seek treatment for his mental health issue.

Franklin’s father, Lance Franklin Sr, flew back from Sydney to Melbourne on Sunday after supporting his son after he stepped away from football last week.

Swans coach John Longmire on Monday confirmed the 28-year-old would not line up for Sydney in the finals and again emphasised the welfare of the AFL’s biggest star welfare was of the utmost importance.

“At this time it is important that Lance has the time and space he needs to overcome the serious mental health condition he is dealing with,” Longmire said. “Lance is aware that he has the full support of the club to take as long as required to get his health right. As we have said repeatedly, Lance’s health comes first.

“This is a serious and private issue and it is important that it is treated with the appropriate respect.”

Sydney coach John Longmire admits few of the theories about how to contain Brent Harvey have succeeded, as he strives to find a way to stifle his former teammate's influence on Saturday's AFL semi-final.

Longmire was a colleague of Harvey's for four seasons until he retired following North Melbourne's 1999 premiership win.

Harvey is still powering on at 37, racking up 31 touches and two goals in game number 407, Sunday's elimination final win over Richmond.

"There's many different theories about how you contain `Boomer' (Harvey), but not many have succeeded because he's such a good player," Longmire said on Monday.

Lance Franklin will play no further part in Sydney's increasingly difficult push for this year's premiership after it was determined the added stress of returning to the field would not help his recovery from mental illness.

Sam Reid has also been ruled out for the remainder of the season, leaving the Swans without two of their best key forwards.

Franklin had already been ruled out from this weekend's semi-final against North Melbourne and it soon became apparent to the club that they would not be able to call upon their superstar spearhead again this year.

The decision not to rush Franklin back was made in consultation with the player and the Swans' clinical psychologist.

Sydney appear certain to win a running battle with the AFL to be allowed to compete during next month’s player-exchange period on a level close to equal footing with all other clubs.

The Swans have argued their case has changed dramatically since they were banned from trading at the end of last year and they may now be allowed to trade in a player worth $500,000 a year.

The league continues to warm to Sydney’s case for a more dominant hand during this year’s trade period after constant lobbying by the Swans’ heavy hitters.

Sydney had fallen foul of the AFL after being accused of using the controversial Cost of Living Allowance to sign big-name players.

The Sydney push has been led by chief executive Andrew Ireland, chairman Andrew Pridham and general manager of football operations Tom Harley who have gone a long way to convincing the league they need the ability to draft high-profile players.

Adversity can galvanise. It can become a more potent bonding syrup than a round of schooners at the local ale house. It can force a club with already strong bloodlines to dig deeper than it knew it could. But there comes a time when adversity begins to morph into the more objectionable realm of near-impossibility. The Sydney Swans have moved perilously close to the latter.

Coach John Longmire stood outside the Basil Sellers Centre at the SCG yesterday and revealed neither Lance Franklin nor Sam Reid would play again this season. Franklin was thought to be a week-by-week proposition while he confronted his mental health issues. Perhaps we underestimated the size of the fight in the black dog. He’s gone for the year. So is Reid after scans revealed a torn hamstring ahead of Saturday night’s knockout semi-final against North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium.

“Lance won’t be playing for the rest of the season,” Longmire said.