SUNS midfielder David Swallow has skipped the annual footy trip and is training through his holiday in a bid to be at peak fitness for the start of pre-season training.

Swallow has played just six games in two seasons because of a chronic knee injury.

The 23-year-old is one of the most important players on the Suns list given he is desperately needed to fill the void left by the departure of Dion Prestia, who has asked to be traded to Richmond, and Michael Rischitelli who injured his ACL in the second half of last season.

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Swallow won the club championship in 2014 – his last full season of football.

He returned for two NEAFL games late in the season before his comeback was cut short by a slight hamstring twinge.

Had he finished that game he was scheduled to return to the senior side for the final round against Port Adelaide.

David Swallow rehabs his knee injury at Gold Coast training. Picture: David Clark Source: News Corp Australia

The Suns say his knee is now 100 per cent healed and he was at the club every day doing rehab on his hamstring and working to build extra strength in his leg to withstand the rigours of a pre-season.

He is expected to complete the full pre-season.

Football manager Marcus Ashcroft confirmed Swallow had been training every day since the end of the season but said he had been encouraged to take a break to freshen up.

“He is in good shape physically, but he just wants to continue on with the momentum he has,’’ he said.

“He needs to get away and mentally recharge and he will do that, but he wants to spend a couple more weeks training first and then take a small break which we are fine with.

“He is obviously a bit different to the rest of the group because he missed for so long and then came back and gave his hamstring a slight tweak.

Dion Prestia is expected to go to Richmond. Source: Getty Images

Jaeger O'Meara is expected to end up at Hawthorn. Picture: Adam Head Source: News Corp Australia

“The plan is he comes back and does the whole pre-season, he will not have any restrictions on him.’’

Meanwhile, Jaeger O’Meara’s manager has revealed Hawthorn’s medical team was influential in the injury prone midfielder’s decision to choose the Hawks as his preferred destination next year.

O’Meara hasn’t played senior football for two years after rupturing his patella tendon and wants a move to the Hawks after previously working with their experienced club doctor Michael Makdissi when he was with the AIS.

Manager Colin Young said the Hawks had convinced O’Meara they could get him back to full fitness.

He said his client was influenced by the Hawks success in rejuvenating Shaun Burgoyne who arrived at the club on crutches in 2009 and had gone on to star in three premierships.

“It’s always a risk because of two years out of the game but they (Hawthorn) think he can (get back to play) and they’ve got the proof in the pudding,” he said.