Sydney coach John Longmire will sweat on the fitness of game-breaker Callum Mills until hours before their AFL elimination final against Greater Western Sydney.

Mills was substituted out of Saturday’s 87-point hammering of Gold Coast, troubled by a nagging Achilles injury which has bothered him all year.

But Longmire said Mills had reported well on Monday and, with midfield stalwart Josh Kennedy (hamstring), will face fitness tests late in the week.

“Both we’re not sure of just yet,” Longmire told reporters on Monday.

“Callum has pulled up OK actually today so that’s a good sign, we just have to wait and see how the week transpires.”

Longmire said the Swans were on top of Mills’ Achilles injury until the 24-year-old was forced into quarantine in round 18 after attending a Wallabies Test in Melbourne which was declared a coronavirus hot-spot.

Mills returned to Sydney’s side in round 20 but, in round 22, was a late withdrawal after reporting Achilles soreness in the warm-up.

“When he was in isolation for a couple of games … that didn’t do him any great assistance in his Achilles soreness,” Longmire said.

“Because just before that, we were getting on top of it.

“He has had it for a fair bit of the year and at different times he has felt stiff … and has been able to get going and feel quite OK as the game has progressed.

“That wasn’t the case obviously on the weekend so it is a bit harder to judge.”

Kennedy appears longer odds to return from his hamstring injury for Saturday afternoon’s clash against the Giants in Launceston.

Both the Swans and GWS have been away from home for nine weeks, with Longmire praising the resilience of the clubs in reaching the playoffs.

“If you’re forced into these situations, you go in with a really positive mindset,” he said.

“Let’s be clear, we would all rather not be away from home for a long period of time.

“But one, there’s a lot more people around Australia doing it tougher than us.

“And the second point is, we didn’t have a choice in it, so you have got to get on with it and you do it with a positive attitude.

“Something tells me there’s still a few challenges ahead.”

AAP