The Swans have made the one forced change ahead of Saturday night’s clash with Gold Coast.

For the final round of the home and away season midfielder Jake Lloyd comes back into the side to replace defender Nick Smith who misses through injury suffered in last weekend’s win over St Kilda.

Smith, who hasn’t missed since Round 4, suffered a minor hamstring strain during the third quarter of the clash at Etihad Stadium and has since failed to prove his fitness.

Swans coach John Longmire, speaking for Centrum Team Selection, said all efforts were going into ensuring Smith was right for finals.

“If he was fit he would have played, but coming off a six-day break there was no way we were going to take that risk,” Longmire said.

“We’re hopeful for next week. He did all that he needed to do on Thursday and our medical staff are quietly confident for next week but we won’t know until then.

“Smith is a very important player and experienced so we’ll miss him but we feel as though we have the depth to cover him.”

Lloyd makes an immediate return after sitting out Round 22 against the Saints as one of three omissions in the wake of Franklin, Gary Rohan and Tom Mitchell’s inclusion.

Longmire believed having players such as Lloyd waiting in the wings says a lot about the Swans’ depth.

“We feel Jake can give us some run and he has some terrific ball use about him as well so we think he’s the best fit for this week,” Longmire added.

“He has played a bit of senior football now and knows what it’s all about.

"But he’s one in about three or four players who could come in and play a role for us.”

With a win cementing a top four spot Longmire said the thought of resting players did not come into consideration at Match Committee.

“Not when we need to win,” Longmire added. “Reality is we need to win the game. We don’t have the luxury of those decision, we need to make sure we play a good brand of football and importantly win the game to finish in that top four.”

The Swans boast a flawless record against Gold Coast, winning all five encounters so far by an average of 54 points.