Sydney coach Paul Roos is hopeful of having boom recruit Daniel Bradshaw play in the opening round of the AFL premiership season.

Bradshaw is recovering from a knee clean-up and is unlikely to play any part in the Swans' pre-season campaign.

But Roos remains optimistic the 31-year-old former Brisbane forward, whom the Swans secured in the pre-season draft last December, can play St Kilda at ANZ Stadium on March 27.

"He hasn't missed anything (in training), he's doing everything right, so from a medical point of view we're still looking at round one for him to play," Roos said.

"But he needs to get over a few things and have no hiccups to do that."

The Swans will spend the last two weeks of the pre-season campaign playing practice games after they were eliminated from the knock-out competition by St Kilda by one point at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

Roos conceded the Saints were the better side, but Sydney would have won if not for a blunder by another recruit, former West Coast ruckman Mark Seaby.

Seaby was given the chance to dob a nine-point goal when awarded a 50-metre penalty from outside 50 metres in the third quarter.

He trotted to 15 metres out, but because there were no Saints players on the mark, he ran on and kicked the goal.

Trouble was the umpires deemed him to have played on, which ruled the nine-point attempt void and meant Seaby's goal was worth six points, which was decisive in St Kilda's 2.9.7 (79) to 0.12.6 (78) win.

Roos admitted he had joked with Seaby at three-quarter time that the recruit would have to make up the prizemoney shortfall if the Swans lost narrowly.

Aside from the error, Roos was pleased with Seaby's performance given he had limited game time because the Swans also played ex-Cat Shane Mumford.

"He played very well," Roos said of Seaby.

"He played half the game, he split the time with Mummy and we're obviously trying to get Mummy some game time quickly and get him used to playing.

"It's his second game with the club, Seabs, and he gets 15 possessions and kicked a goal, so at this early stage he's a really good pick up for us, absolutely."

Roos was also encouraged by the performances of Sydney's other recruits - former Hawks Ben McGlynn and Josh Kennedy and youngsters Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta - and the return of half-back Tadhg Kennelly, who in 2009 played Gaelic football in his native Ireland.

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