COLLINGWOOD ruckman Darren Jolly says the knee injury Nathan Brown suffered on their mid-season Arizona training camp was a freak occurrence and could have happened anywhere.

Jolly, 29, was walking behind Brown on a hike along Mount Humphrey, located slightly north of Flagstaff, last week when the premiership backman slipped on some loose ground and fell, fracturing his kneecap on his "good" leg.

The ruckman said there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent the injury.

"We were just walking. We were on a flat bit of track up on Mount Humphrey and we certainly weren't doing any climbing or anything; we were just walking on a flat track," Jolly said on Tuesday.

"It was a little bit gravelly and he just slipped on a rock and it was as simple as that."

Jolly said Brown was then carried the 400m back to their accommodation on a stretcher before being taken to hospital.

He said his teammate was holding up well despite the faint hopes he had of returning this year from a knee reconstruction being crushed by the latest injury.

"He had the operation yesterday and I haven't spoken to him since then, but his first initial thought was he was in shock because he thought it was a lot worse than it was," he said.

"He was in good spirits come Wednesday night and Thursday on the way home.

"He realises this year is out of the question now and he can focus and put all his energies into next year."

Jolly said he was hopeful of facing former side the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night in his first game since a flare up of his knee injury on Anzac Day against Essendon.

He said his knee had been fully tested out in Arizona and declared himself fit to travel.

"I've got to get picked but everything is going really well and I'll train [Wednesday] and we'll see how we go from there," he said.

"I hope to [play]. I've ticked all the boxes so far and I've got to get through training tomorrow but whether it's in the twos or Mick picks me in the ones, I'll wait and see, [but] I'm ready to go."

Jolly said Dane Swan and Brent Macaffer - the other two mid-season travellers - had done "everything that was needed of them" and all four players had benefited from the "mental getaway" from winter training.

He also said the players avoided jetlag from the lengthy flight home by acclimatising to "Melbourne time" a few days before departing the US.

The Magpies have defeated the Swans in their past nine head-to-heads; five of which have been played at ANZ Stadium.

"I think we've got an in-depth knowledge of how they play and we play really well on the road, wherever we go," Jolly said.

"I think the intensity and pressure we apply on them and any other team is a strength of ours.

"I'm sure we'll try and do it again on the weekend."

Jolly also said the Magpies have learned from the week after their last bye when they started slow against Geelong and lost the game, and would make an attempt to shelve any lethargy early against the Swans.