Lance Franklin will return to the Swans lineup to face Richmond on Sunday and notch another career milestone in the process, the club has confirmed.
Buddy has been absent from Sydney's 22 with injury since their round 13 loss to St Kilda.
The 36-year-old was sidelined with knee soreness ahead of their match against Brisbane the following week.
On Monday, Swans coach John Longmire said Franklin was a "chance" to slot back into the side to face the Tigers should he successfully train with the side in preparation for Thursday night.
"He's a chance. He'll train today and see how he goes," Longmire said.
"He's been running and building back. If he gets through the training session and feels good... we'll make that call tomorrow if he feels up to it. The question last week was whether he had done enough at training but not tip him over. That's the fine line."
In recent weeks Longmire had conceded Franklin had played more than expected in the first half of 2023 as Sydney dealt with a lengthy injury list to key position players.
On Tuesday the club confirmed he will enter the MCG to kick off round 17.
"Lance completed a training block over the weekend and took part in our main skills training this week. He has recovered well and will return to play against Richmond," the Swans said via their website.
When Franklin takes the field on Thursday he'll move to third on the all-time list of career games by an Indigenous player. Currently square with Carlton and Adelaide champion Eddie Betts on 350 games, Buddy trails behind only Shaun Burgoyne (407) and Adam Goodes (372) in the category.
In his last game he moved to fourth on the VFL/AFL mens all-time goalkicking list, when he kicked his 1058th career major.
Sydney are currently a game and half out of the top eight and thirteenth on the ladder after their draw with Geelong on Friday night.
In other football news, an injury cloud hangs over St Kilda veteran Bradley Hill after the 29-year-old injured his knee in his side's nail biting win over West Coast on Sunday.
Hill was able to play out the game, with the club confirming earlier this week he would be sent for scans on returning to Melbourne.
"Lingering soreness will be further investigated," Saints acting general manager of football David Misson said of Hill and teammate Seb Ross, who also deals with a knee complaint after the match.
"We don't know the severity of Bradley and Seb's injuries yet, so we'll await the scan results before attempting to put a timeline on them," he said.
