THE SYDNEY Swans' backline will be missing a crucial piece for at least another fortnight, with the club revealing Rhyce Shaw's "unique" abdominal injury is taking much longer to heal than expected.
Shaw sustained the injury in round two against the Gold Coast, when he was substituted in the final quarter, and the club initially felt he would only spend one or two weeks on the sideline.
But the 31-year-old has sat out the past four games and will miss at least another two, including this week's Grand Final rematch with Hawthorn at the MCG.
Shaw is battling a deep abdominal tear, which is becoming a concern as the Swans adjust to life without a defender that played such a pivotal role in last year's premiership.
"He won't play this week and he won't play next week," Longmire told reporters at the SCG on Tuesday.
"He's running and been running well, but when he gets to the agility stage of his rehab, he can't take that next step.
"He's plateaued. It's quite a unique injury."
Shaw has averaged 23 games per season over his four years at the Swans and his leadership and running ability is pivotal to their set-up.
The club's depth is being tested, but Tony Armstrong and Dane Rampe have so far done a reasonable job covering for Shaw and Alex Johnson.
It's a backline that will have its hands full this week when it attempts to quell a dangerous Hawks forward line, led by Lance Franklin.
Ted Richards is at least fully fit this time around after he carried an ankle injury into last year's decider.
Franklin hasn't kicked a goal in his past two matches, but Longmire said that makes no difference to the Swans' planning for the superstar full forward.
"His athleticism is such that he does make defenders get concerned about what he can do," he said.
"He looks as though he's competing really well and working really hard and having shots at goal.
"He's missed a few, but we know him at his best and that's at the absolute top end."
Hawthorn will be missing Cyril Rioli, Ryan Schoenmakers and Matt Suckling on Saturday night, among others, but Longmire believes the Hawks have some "fantastic depth", which now includes defender Brian Lake.
The Swans coach is extremely wary of Lake's burgeoning partnership with Josh Gibson.
"He adds a big body," Longmire said of the former Western Bulldog.
"He's doing exactly what Alastair Clarkson wanted him to, which is to play on the big blokes, and he's been able to do that effectively over the last couple of weeks.
"We've got to make sure we don't kick the ball to Brian's advantage because up in the air, he and Gibson are probably the two best spoilers in the game."
James Dampney is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
