Sydney are unsure how long skipper Josh Kennedy will be sidelined by the hamstring injury that forced him out of their AFL blockbuster against Geelong.
Kennedy experienced hamstring tightness during last week’s loss to Hawthorn with scans later confirming minor inflammation in the muscle.
He was given the opportunity to prove his fitness at Wednesday’s main training session but was unable to hit top speed.
“I don’t know at this stage,” coach John Longmire replied when asked how long his playmaker would be out.
“We’re hoping it’s only the one week … he was able to run around (at training) but not get to full pace so the risk was too great.
“We’ll see how he goes next week.”
Kennedy departed Friday’s line-up along with Jordan Foote (omitted), Daniel Robinson (omitted) and Sam Naismith (abdominal strain).
Kurt Tippett, Sam Reid, Jake Lloyd and Gary Rohan returned to the sixth-placed side looking for an 11th win for the season.
The Cats, sitting in second spot, lost superstar midfielder Patrick Dangerfield to a hotly-debated one-match suspension and Nakia Cockatoo to a hamstring injury for the Simonds Stadium clash.
“It’s a real challenge going down there – there’s no doubt about that,” Longmire said.
“They’re one of the best teams in the competition, clearly, and they play that ground so well.
“But we enjoy the trip down to Geelong … we’re looking forward to it.”
The Cats have won 15 of their past 16 games at Simonds Stadium, but the Swans were the last team to beat them there. Longmire’s men scored a 38-point win last season.