Sydney midfielder Justin McInerney is firmly on track for a round 23 comeback against Essendon, having reached the halfway mark of his rehabilitation from a hamstring issue.

McInerney has been sidelined since round 13 when he was subbed out at half-time of the Swans' two-point win over the Saints. 

Racing for the footy on the boundary line late in the second term, he tweaked his right hamstring after an innocuous-looking push. While he managed to run off the field, subsequent scans revealed a much harsher reality than what was initially thought.

"I felt it go, but I still jogged off and felt pretty good," McInerney told reporters on Wednesday.

"I thought I was only going to be out for maybe a month, but the scan came back, and it wasn't great. It wasn't ideal, but it is what it is, isn't it?"

The injury carried a gruelling 8-10 week recovery timeline, but the midfielder is making strides, hitting his rehab benchmarks by building up his running, agility and hamstring strength.

"I'm five weeks down, and the goal is five to go," McInerney said.

"I'm running now. I'm at about mid-60s (per cent intensity) and hoping to hit 70 per cent today. 

"I'm tracking along and banking some 9km sessions at a lower intensity, just getting the Ks in the legs so that when I come back, I'm ready to go."

The 25-year-old clarified that he is targeting the penultimate round of the home-and-away season, viewing the final home-and-away game against North Melbourne as his absolute safety net.

"Soft tissue injuries are a bit different; they play a bit more on your mind," he said. 

"With the end goal of finals coming up, it makes it a little bit tougher. But with the support network and the physios we have at the club, they do a great job of giving you confidence that when you get back, you'll be ready to go, and it will be very strong."

The injury layoff halted what had been a strong 2026 campaign for McInerney, who had put himself firmly in contention for a debut All-Australian blazer. 

Averaging over 23 disposals and a goal per game across his 13 outings, his elite speed and versatility earned him a spot on the interchange in AFL.com.au's mid-season All-Australian team after round 12. 

"It's never nice being on the sidelines. But watching the boys gives us a lot of faith that when I get back out there, we'll be all good," McInerney said.

To stay involved, McInerney has taken on a coaching-style role from the bench, helping to pass messages to his teammates during games.

Despite Sydney's 38-point loss to Fremantle last Thursday, McInerney remains confident that the Swans' strong first half proves they can match the best, despite a tough second-half fadeout.

"It was interesting. I think we did a lot of things well in the first half, and we showed that we're definitely up to it," he said.

"Then they had a great response, as good teams do. They came out in the second half and showed us up, but we take a lot of things out of it, and we're still very confident going forward."

McInerney was speaking at the Swans and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood's event on Wednesday to launch their 'Round 42' campaign.

Sydney's round 24 match will be themed as Round 42 to highlight that donated blood has a shelf life of just 42 days.