INJURY-CURSED Sydney defender Alex Johnson is set to play his first NEAFL game of the year after recovering from a groin operation in February.

The Swans face Sydney University on Friday afternoon at the SCG, in a curtain-raiser to the senior side's clash with Carlton.

It has previously been the premiership backman's knees that have kept him off the park, having endured five reconstructions and 12 surgeries on those joints since 2013.

"He's been in the dungeon for a fair while and he is quite pasty because he's been indoors for so long, but you get him into the sunlight and he shines," Sydney NEAFL coach Jeremy Laidler told sydneyswans.com.au.

"He's been training for a good few weeks now and he feels good in his body.

"He probably could have played last week but we held him back one more week and we can't wait to see him pull on the boots."

Johnson, 26, returned to football last year and played nine NEAFL games. The first of those matches, in July, was his first in 1,736 days.