Sydney co-captain Adam Goodes believes his enforced injury lay-off earlier this season will prove to be a big benefit for him and the Swans for the rest of the campaign.
Goodes suffered a torn quad muscle in the Round 6 loss to Adelaide, forcing him to the sidelines for seven weeks.
It's the longest stretch of time the 32-year-old has spent out of the game through injury in his career and he concedes it was frustrating to have to watch his team-mates do battle without him.
Goodes, who along with key ruckman Shane Mumford has missed a lot of football for the Swans in 2012, returned against Geelong a fortnight ago and is slowly getting back to his trademark form.
And he is confident the long stint out of the game may prove to be a blessing in disguise for himself and the team at the backend of the season.
"I like to think things happen for a reason and there's a reason why maybe I didn't have any injuries before this one," Goodes told reporters on Thursday.
"But to have that little rest and be feeling fresh at this time of year, a lot of players have played 13 games of footy and I've only played six, hopefully it is an advantage for myself and Shane for the back half of the year.
"I feel great, I feel really good and I'm training well.
"There has been nothing sore or wrong with my leg since two weeks after I did it.
"Mentally there are no problems with it so it's now just a matter of touching the footy and timing my marks and kicking straight."
The Swans are currently sitting pretty in second spot with 10 wins for the season but Goodes said it was vital they continue their current form over the next two months or risk dropping down the table.
The congestion in the top eight means it would be easy to fall down the ladder with a couple of losses and with matches against West Coast, Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn to come, the Swans will need to be at their best to stay in the top four.
"That's the best thing about the last nine games of the season, we get to play four of those teams vying for a top-four spot," Goodes said.
"That's the challenge for us.
"We can look at the ladder and we're 10-3, but you don't get comfortable with that.
"You're not going to make finals with 10 victories, so we know there's a lot of hard work ahead of us."
Asked about the upcoming clash with the in-form Brisbane Lions on Saturday, Goodes said: "Their discipline and ability to stick to their structures has been very impressive.
"When you're able to stick to your structures for as long as possible, you give yourselves a chance to win games of football.
"In the last two games they've won by 10 goals and eight goals. They're playing good football, they're up and about and confident and that's what you need when you've got a young side.
"It's going to be a big test for us."