Sydney star Sofia Hurley is in a race against the clock to pull off a remarkable comeback from surgery and play in an AFLW elimination final.
The midfield gun has been listed as a test for Sunday’s home clash against the Western Bulldogs and fuelled the Swans’ hopes of a swift return from a left ankle fracture after hitting full speed during training.
Hurley, who hasn’t played since round five, trained separately from the main group on Tuesday and was joined by defender Alice Mitchell (ACL).
But the 22-year-old looked far from hampered, as she did full sprints of the Henson Park wing before doing change of direction drills.
It was only last round when Hurley was listed to be three to six weeks away as she underwent weight-bearing rehabilitation.
Hurley had suffered a small fracture - which Sydney coach Colin O’Riordan described as "clean" in the win over GWS - and avoided syndesmosis damage.
Whether the Swans opt to rush Hurley back into the squad remains to be seen, given competition heavyweights Geelong or Melbourne await the winner of Sunday’s clash.
The Bulldogs are smarting after a 68-point drubbing at the hands of the Cats, while Sydney return to Henson Park after a one-point away win over Fremantle.
In a finals race many expect defending premiers North Melbourne to win, superstar forward Chloe Molloy was adamant the Swans could do more than simply make up the numbers.
Molloy slotted four majors against the Dockers to take out the league’s leading goalkicker award with a record haul of 27.
"Ignorance is bliss," Molloy said of the finals race.
"What this team's been so good at this season is external noise can stay outside the four walls.
"When the narrative's against us, we wouldn't really know because I don't think anyone buys into it.
"You've obviously got your powerhouse teams that continually are out there, and we know who's in the finals, but ... going outside of the four walls is a little bit of wasted energy."
Molloy was also busy the last time Sydney faced the Dogs in round four, but her three-goal effort wasn't enough to save them from a 27-point defeat.
In three matches between the two clubs since 2023, the Swans have lost the last two.
"We say AFLW seasons are short, but it feels so long ago now that we've versed them," Molloy said.
"They know the recipe to beat us, so every week's going to hand a different situation in terms of teams building momentum.
"It was round four, months ago now, and just the way we've shifted into this flow state of Swans football and playing more consistent footy ... that's the difference."
