The Sydney Swans are undoubtedly in a better shape than at this time last year as they prepare to return for the post-Christmas grind on Friday morning, Head of Football Charlie Gardiner says.

The entire Swans squad will resume the summer sweat at Lakeside Oval as the countdown continues to a season-opening clash with the Adelaide Crows.

Decorated forward Lance Franklin won’t be with the main group at the Moore Park session after it was announced on Wednesday he was set for 10 weeks of rehabilitation due to pre-season maintenance on his knee.

But despite the unfortunate news surrounding the 944-goal star, Gardiner is upbeat about the health of the club’s list.

“We certainly started the pre-season in healthier shape than we did last year,” Gardiner told SEN.

“We had players back in early November which was foreign territory for the Swans having played finals footy for the last nine years. The players came back fit and healthy and eager to get stuck in to a big pre-season, and that’s what they’ve done, so we’re happy with how things are going.”

One player charging through the pre-season is 22-year-old Callum Mills, who was recently named in a new-look Swans leadership group alongside co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, as well as Franklin.

Mills has played in defence since the club drafted him from the QBE Sydney Swans Academy in November 2015, but speculation is swirling around a possible switch to the midfield – and not for the first time.

The young Swan has been a staple of Sydney’s defence, collecting the 2016 AFL Rising Star award and earning selection in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22under22 team in 2019 for the third time in four years.

Gardiner remained coy on whether Mills would shift to the midfield in the 2020 season.

“He’s done work in our defence and with our midfield group during the pre-season,” Gardiner said.

“It’s been talked about a lot whether we can get him up in the midfield, but he’s playing a really important role for us down back. He’s acting a bit like Jarrad McVeigh in seasons past back there, so he’s playing a really important role.

“If getting him up in the midfield is the best thing for our structure we will, but we’ll just have to see how that plays out this year.”