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Sydney coach John Longmire says downtime will be key as his AFL side confronts a stretch away from home because of NSW's COVID-19 outbreak.

Sydney coach John Longmire is heeding lessons from last year's Hub as his AFL club confronts uncertainty about coming games and their return home.

The Swans departed the NSW capital last Tuesday at short notice, expecting to return home either this week or next.

But Sydney's growing COVID-19 cluster means they will 'host' West Coast in Geelong on Sunday, while the prospect of a long stint in Melbourne looms large.

The challenge is complicated by the fact that Logan McDonald and other players remain at home, having not been part of the original travelling squad, while Lance Franklin is among the group of Swans with young families in lockdown back in Sydney.

"It was a challenging environment last year, we didn't know where we were going and how long we'd be away for," Longmire said.

"We felt like we handled it really well and we've taken that same mentality into this year.

"Our group is pretty resilient, able to roll with the punches a bit and just take it as it comes.

"You've really got to live in the moment ... as soon as you start projecting too far ahead and stop living in the moment, you don't enjoy the moment."

Longmire noted downtime was key, likewise support for families back home.

The aftermath of Saturday's dramatic 10-point loss to Port Adelaide, which Longmire estimated to be an 18-hour day in total because of flights, coronavirus tests and various protocols, is a prime example of Sydney's approach.

"We gave them a couple of days off to freshen up mentally, go and do their own thing," Longmire said.

"Not having too many meetings is one thing we learned last year.

"Just because you have all the players around - you don't have to sit down and talk footy with them all day, every day."

Key forward Sam Reid and backman Lewis Melican have resumed training as they continue to recover from injuries, while Longmire is upbeat that Chad Warner will return soon.

Franklin, fresh from booting four goals and threatening to inspire an upset win over Port, remains in good shape while edging closer to his 1000-goal milestone.

"He's doing more training, therefore he's able to feel a bit better on match day," Longmire said.

The four-time Coleman medallist did fall foul of the match-review officer for his attempted tackle on Jarrod Lienert, which resulted in a $2000 fine.

Longmire has spoken with Franklin about his technique.

"It's a fine balance because we love the way he attacks the contest," Longmire said.

"We don't want to give away free kicks.

"There's a split-second decision these guys have to make. Even the most experienced players don't always get it right."