Adam Goodes expected to return this weekend for Cats clash

Adam Goodes is set to return to the game he loves this week after taking a self-imposed break, in the wake of ongoing booing and racial abuse this season.

Sydney Swans coach John Longmire today announced Goodes would return to training tomorrow with the likelihood of returning for the clash against the Geelong Cats on Saturday night.

Geelong has come out in support and promised a supportive environment for the football star's return.

Longmire said Goodes was "mature enough and wise enough to know when he's ready to play".

"Obviously he has played 18 years and he just want to enjoy playing his footy again," he said.

It follows the Swans' clash with the Adelaide Crows at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, where AFL fans gave a standing ovation for the absent player during the seventh minute of the third quarter - a nod to Goodes' guernsey number of 37.

Goodes' teammates also ran through a banner emblazoned with the word "respect" at the start of the match.

At yesterday's clash between Port Adelaide and St Kilda, Indigenous leaders Nicky Winmar, Gavin Wanganeen and Byron Pickett gathered for the first bounce.

Despite the strong support from the AFL community and general public, many footy fans maintain they have the right to boo Goodes and will continue to do so when he returns.