Unfortunately the duo are in close proximity in a Melbourne hospital, sharing the same room as they recover from knee surgery.

Luckless Sydney Swan Johnson was booked in for a sixth knee reconstruction after a short-lived comeback for the 2012 Premiership winner ended against Melbourne at the MCG on August 12.

Shaw suffered a season-ending medial ligament injury playing for the Giants in Canberra the night before Johnson's latest setback.

The notoriously garrulous GWS star tweeted a picture of his hospital roommate on Tuesday.

"People thought things couldn't get any worse for Alex Johnson having his 6th knee reco, think again ... he ends up with me as his roommate." Shaw tweeted.

Giants forward Harry Himmelberg confirmed Shaw was likely to be an irritating roommate for Johnson, who has played just two games in almost six years.

"What I know of Heath, he will be annoying Alex in the hospital, I know that for sure,' Himmelberg joked before Giants' training on Tuesday.

Even the normally earnest Swans' head coach John Longmire wore a smile on Tuesday when the subject was broached before training at the SCG.

"It put a smile on Alex's face which is great. It was good to see him have a smile at Heath's expense before he had his sixth operation," he said.

The only times the pair have played against each other was in 2012 when Shaw was a Collingwood player.

They met in round 20 and again in a preliminary final.

Australian Associated Press