NICK MALCESKI is in line to make a shock return to football this weekend, less than 11 weeks after undergoing his second knee reconstruction.

The defender must get through a training session tomorrow before a final assessment by Swans medical staff on Friday.

After rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament at training on March 3, Malceski chose to have the revolutionary LARS (ligament augmentation and reconstruction system) surgery for a second time.

Malceski, who resumed full training last week and moved freely on the track yesterday with the main group, took 90 days to return from his first reconstruction in 2008 but will make his comeback after just 72 days this time if passed fit by Swans physiotherapist Matt Cameron.

Although a fine player, Malceski's remarkable recuperative powers will ensure he will be remembered as much for his ability to defy conventions regarding the recovery time for anterior cruciate ligament injuries as his on-field achievement.

''If he can get through the training this week, we're going to start playing him this weekend on a reduced game time, so fingers will be crossed,'' Cameron told the Swans website. "But his body is holding up well this week, and we'll see how he goes.''

The Swans reserves play the Gold Coast Suns in a curtain-raiser to Sydney's clash with Port Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday.

Should Malceski play, there will be two Swans coming back from LARS surgery in the reserves as youngster Campbell Heath has been earmarked to make his return on the weekend.

The future remains murky for veteran spearhead Daniel Bradshaw, who remains dogged by a knee injury. ''Daniel is still just running, he's not training yet, and we're working on his running and sensitive to how his knee will cope with any load,'' Cameron said.

Meanwhile, Sydney defender Ted Richards is free to play this weekend after he was found not guilty of a rough-conduct charge at the AFL tribunal last night.