Papley confirms he will “definitely” be good to go for finals week one

Sydney forward Tom Papley has confirmed he’ll be ready to play in week one of the upcoming finals series.

The small forward has missed four games since suffering an ankle injury in the Round 19 loss to Brisbane at the Gabba and while he’ll miss the Swans’ game against the Crows at the SCG this Saturday, he’s certain he’ll be good to go once September comes around.

“I’m doing well,” Papley told SENTrack.

“I’ve missed four weeks now. This week will be my fifth and I won’t play this week.

“But I’ll definitely be right for the first final, which is the main thing.”

Since making his debut in 2016, Papley has played at least 18 games in each season (apart from the 2020 17-game home and away season), and as a result, has only just gotten used to being a part of the rehab group.

While it’s been a change for the star Swan, he says working back from injury has put things in perspective as he gets to work alongside Justin McInerney who also hopes to return in finals from a knee injury.

“It’s sort of put things in perspective a bit,” Papley said.

“I suppose I haven't really been injured much in my career and I’ve been in the rehab group with one of my really good mates Justin McInerney who is an important part of the team as well.

“We've been in there together and working hard with another first-year player who we get along well with as well. It’s been as good as it can be in the rehab.

“Obviously, we weren’t getting the wins we would have liked a couple of weeks ago, so it’s good to get back on the board now.

“We can go into this week against Adelaide with a bit of confidence, then onwards to the finals.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

Sydney faces Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday night. Given their percentage of 126.3, they’re effectively certain to be crowned minor premiers in 2024 even if they suffer a huge loss against the Crows.