Sydney coach John Longmire and teammates believe Adam Goodes will return to play out the AFL season despite the “disgraceful” booing controversy.

The dual Brownlow medallist’s playing future is unclear after he was granted indefinite leave by the club on Wednesday while he struggles to deal with the crowd vitriol that has dogged him for months.

Goodes was reported to even be considering immediate retirement, but the club does not think that will be the case after talking to him this week.

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“I think he will come back at this point,” said Longmire on Thursday, adding there were no guarantees.

“He was pretty shaken up on Tuesday and to sit with him and talk through those things with him across the table you can understand it.

“He just needed a few days and some time out and once and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Co-captains Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh agreed.

“I expect him to play,” said Jack.

“Our priority first and foremost is Adam’s welfare and to make sure we are supporting him – and we are.

Swans CEO Andrew Ireland addressed the divisive controversy in some depth on Thursday, while adding “My gut feel is that he’ll want to play.”

Ireland labelled the whole furore a “disgrace”, and slammed commentators who suggested Goodes was being a sook and that the booing had nothing to do with race.

“Adam was Australian of the Year, he made some comments (about race) around that time,” Ireland said.

“I thought they were really appropriate, I thought he balanced being a strong Indigenous leader with being a proud Australian.

“Some people though don’t like it.

“I agree with commentators who make the point that the reason people are having a go at Adam and the booing emanates because he’s not a quiet Indigenous person who sits in the corner. He’s got a view.”

Ireland believed the majority of people were supportive of Goodes.

“Personally I think a lot of the points raised as to why people don’t like Adam or why they boo him are excuses.

“I don’t think it is anything to do with the way he plays his footy.”

While Goodes is to miss this weekend’s home game against Adelaide, Ireland was confident that if Goodes returned to play away against Geelong next weekend he would encounter a far more positive environment than he has struck at away grounds in recent times.

He applauded the Cats and their chief executive Brian Cook for comments on the issue this week including strongly-worded requests to fans to show respect to Goodes.

Ireland praised “fantastic” cross-code support Goodes has received, including from NRL indigenous players such as superstars Jonathan Thurston and Greg Inglis along with Richmond’s announcement they will don their 2015 Dreamtime guernseys in Friday’s match against Hawthorn at the MCG.

While revealing the Swans have “a couple of things planned” of their own for their match with the Crows at the SCG on Saturday, he maintained the biggest thing the players could do in support was to perform well on the field.