They come from a man who suffered a sickening leg injury in 2012, a compound fracture that at the time looked career-threatening and that ultimately led to the AFL changing the rules around players sliding in down low when going after the football.

Rohan suffered another injury just a week and a half ago and his season looked over after leaving the field on a mobile stretcher in the first half of Sydney's semi-final win over Adelaide. But he made a miraculous recovery to play against Geelong last Friday.

Now he has another shot at winning an AFL premiership, a chance he was denied by that broken leg in 2012 when the Swans won their last flag.

As bittersweet as missing that grand final was, the 63-point shellacking dealt out to the Swans in the 2014 decider still rankles more frequently in Rohan's mind.

"That feeling I had after that game was the worst I've ever felt. Hopefully I can come back with the win this year, be more upbeat," Rohan said.

"The feeling when the boys won in 2012, the look on their face. I just want to have that feeling, I'm doing all I can not to do 2014 again.

"My experience from 2014 as in knowing when to zone out from footy, that sort of stuff, controlling my nerves as well, those things will come into play.

"I was still wired up after the parade [the night before], I was just on a high. This time I'll no doubt have to shut it down and just focus on the game."

That Rohan is even available for Saturday's game looked an impossibility two weekends ago when he was left crumpled on the SCG after a painful marking contest.

He'd copped a knock just beneath his right knee at the top end of his tibia and fibula, which were rebuilt in 2012 with a metal rod running the length of his shin and four screws.

Initially it looked as if Rohan had suffered a serious knee injury, and the mobile stretcher came on to the ground to carry him from the field and back down to the change rooms.

"I went up to spoil the ball, just drove my knee into the pack and I think it just hit me on the right spot, there was a bit of a shock through the leg," Rohan said.

"From breaking my leg in 2012 I just thought the worst. I didn't know what it was but I thought straight up that I did something pretty serious. I was kind of pretty devastated thinking that this year was over.

"As soon as I got the scans done that night and everything got ruled out I was pretty happy.

"I had a couple of sleepless nights just icing up and getting any of the swelling out. I had a couple of hours each night for the first three nights – just watching tele, I had my dog there on the couch with me it was all right.

"I caught up on the sleep later in the week.

"I got to Wednesday training here, trained well, pulled up well and from that I had the full confidence that I'd get up for the game."

Rohan said he played with no pain against the Cats, and he was heavily involved kicking two goals and occasionally played down back.

Now he's only four quarters of football away from avenging the heartache of the 2014 grand final, and the excruciating pain that came in 2012.