STAR midfielder Dan Hannebery looks unlikely to return from injury in the Sydney Swans' huge showdown with Hawthorn on Saturday night, judging by Thursday's training session at the SCG.

The All Australian has been missing since tearing ligaments in his ankle in the round 13 victory over Port Adelaide back on June 14.

Hannebery, Kurt Tippett (knee) and Rhyce Shaw (ankle) have all been racing the clock in a bid to take their place in a game that will have major implications on this year's top four.

While Tippett and Shaw trained with the main group on Thursday before the media were turned away, Hannebery only took part in some basic handball drills with fellow injured players Tom Mitchell, Zak Jones and Tom Derickx.

Swans coach John Longmire had flagged at the start of the week that Hannebery was the least likely of the three injured stars to make his final 22 for the trip to Melbourne.

The ladder-leading Swans will set a new club record with a 13th straight win if they can prevail on Saturday, while the third-placed Hawks need to win to keep pace with the premiership favourites.

Twitter: @AFL_JD