THEY'VE been the most talked-about injured duo in footy this year and they've spent so long on the sidelines together, there's now a shared nickname for Tom Papley and Errol Gulden.

"We call each other 'Lemon'. I won't go into why but it's good fun," Papley said.

Whatever it means – and there are many at the Swans who have absolutely no idea – it's a term they'll shout out to each other, and others in the Sydney squad, as they get set to storm out on the SCG under the Friday night lights to face the Western Bulldogs.

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It's only the pair's second game back after emerging from the most arduous injury spell either has experienced.

Gulden for the whole season up until round 15 with an broken ankle. Papley for 14 weeks with a fractured heel.

It's a lay-off that took its toll, especially as they sat helpless while losses mounted, but one that helped foster their relationship and garner a great deal of admiration.

"Yeah, we get along really well. He's a young up and coming leader, and we have good fun. First game back (against Port last week) we grabbed each other before the game and just said 'how good's this?' It's a good ritual we have," Papley said to AFL.com.au.

"He's just such a cool, calm, collected person and player. He's so professional. His rehab stuff that he was doing was to the nth degree and it was actually amazing to watch.

"You realise why he's one of the best in the game because he does every little thing right. And he's only 23. He's only going to get better."

The proposition of Gulden going up a level is equal parts exciting for Swans fans and scary for opponents, but it's likely that his time out of the game has stoked the internal fires further, just as it has for Papley.

 More than three months on the sidelines will do that.

"You take it for granted. I haven't had a really long injury like that in my career, I've been very lucky. I just love competing with the boys and I had that little bit of a sick feeling in the stomach before the game, again and that was a good feeling," Papley said.

"You should probably know by watching me play, I'm not the most patient bloke, so it was tough. I had a bit of a setback as well at around week four or five, I pushed it a little bit too hard so I had to start again pretty much and go back to square one.

"That was frustrating for the first day or so. But you let it out and then realise that you're lucky to have an amazing job and you get on with it. I've been lucky over the years and just tried to keep my perspective a bit."

Along with that Papley perception, came some positives.

Despite 10 seasons, three Swans leading goalkicker gongs and an All-Australian blazer, there is still plenty more to learn, and his longest stint on the AFL sidelines have afforded him that opportunity and crucially, the prospect of even bigger performances.

"I've played nearly 200 games now so I think I see the game pretty well. I love watching footy. I watch nearly every game just to enjoy it but also to learn what other players do," Papley said. 

"I've learned just how important it is to run those forward patterns that we talk about to help our defence or to help our offence. You think a little bit more about that stuff when you've been out, mainly because you've been driving those sort of standards to the boys so it's in the back of your mind that you've got to do it when you're back."

That kind of talk may lend one to think that a coaching role lies in Papley's future but as far away as that time might be, it still seems unlikely.

"I wouldn't mind my weekends back, here and there. My partner wouldn't mind me around for all of the weekend as well. So coaching's not on the radar, but you never know," he said.

If that was to change however, the 28-year-old would have learnt plenty from a 2025 season, that still promises much for the Swans but has harvested its fair share of setbacks.

Coming off another heavy Grand Final defeat, with a coaching change and litany of key injuries, standards at the club drifted.

It was a revelation made by Chad Warner, who celebrates his his 100th game on Friday night, and it's a sentiment Papley shares.

"I think the little things can add up when you're not going well. We probably let a little few little things slip. It's not major stuff, and you can get away with it when you're flying," he said.

"But you sort of strip it right back and little things here and there can impact you on game day, it's just such a tough industry. We probably just let a few little standards slip here and there. But over the last month we've really honed in on every little thing and, everything matters. We've got things back on track but we've got a long way to go."

While the Swans lost their way at times in the first half of the season, Dean Cox wasn't afraid to make some big calls.

The names of Jake Lloyd and Ollie Florent have been as nailed on to the Swans team sheet as much as any over the past decade, but both have found themselves dropped to the VFL in recent weeks.

It's not a prospect that Papley, or any Swans fans saw coming but it does bring with it a silver lining.

"Yeah, it just makes it extra competitive for spots. Maybe early in the year, some guys may be thinking they're safe but it just shows how you have to play well to keep your spot. You have to play for the team," he said.

"I'm not saying that those guys weren't. They're great players, and they've just been out of form. That's just the way footy goes. The competition for spots makes everyone go that little bit harder and in the twos, they go a little bit harder.

"I think Corey Warner's come on as a player; Angus Sheldrick has gone from strength to strength to strength each week.

"There's some positives to come out of it. We would have liked to sneak a few more wins, but it is what it is, and we'll push on from here."

How much is possible for the Swans from this point will be a fascinating watch for the remainder of the season.

There has long been a view that Sydney, coming off two Grand Finals in the past three years and with the likes of Gulden and Papley back, can still snare a finals spot and potentially shock anyone in September with some momentum behind them.

And while he's long been regarded as the Swans' 'Energizer bunny' in attack, not even Papley is allowing himself to entertain those thoughts.

 "I'm going to give you the old cliche. You're not going to get much out of me. We just can't think like that. We've got the Dogs this week. They're in form – obviously Bont (Marcus Bontempelli, (Ed) Richards, Sam Darcy, they've probably got three of the best 10 players in the comp in their side at the moment," Papley said.

"This will really show where we're at and if we can really give it to the Bulldogs and hopefully snag a win, you just never know."