SYDNEY coach Colin O'Riordan says Ally Morphett is more upset about letting her teammates down than missing out on individual honours after accepting a one-match suspension that sidelines the star ruck for Sunday's Sydney Derby.

Morphett was banned for a fourth-quarter strike on Western Bulldogs defender Elisabeth Georgostathis, while teammate Lexi Hamilton also received a one-match suspension for striking forward Heidi Woodley during Saturday's 27-point defeat.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, O'Riordan said Morphett was deeply disappointed by the incident, particularly because of its impact on the team as Sydney prepares for a blockbuster clash against Greater Western Sydney.

"I spoke to Ally last night and yesterday as well, and she's very disappointed, and rightly so. But at the same time, I have so much confidence that she'll bounce back," he said. 

"I don't think she's someone who looks at individual accolades, and that's one thing she's been really clear on; she just wants the best for the team.

"I think that's why she's more disappointed; she feels like she probably let the team down a little bit. It has nothing to do with her individual accolades, which is a credit to her and how she puts the team first."

The suspension also rules Morphett out of contention for major end-of-season awards despite her outstanding start to the season. The towering ruck has polled 25 AFLCA AFLW Champion Player of the Year votes through four rounds, placing her equal fourth on the leaderboard.

Sydney initially considered challenging Morphett's ban but ultimately accepted both suspensions, with O'Riordan conceding the AFLW's updated Tribunal rules left little room to argue for a lesser sanction.

"It was a really delicate one with the Tribunal changes this year," he said.

"Any intentional strike to the body immediately goes to medium impact. It used to be graded as low impact, but it's actually medium impact stuff now, and the minimum for that is a one-match ban. So, we just felt it was an intentional strike to the body, and there wouldn't have been a better outcome."

The Swans could, however, regain an important player for Sunday's derby, with marquee recruit Taylor Smith and captain Lucy McEvoy both tests to face the Giants.

Smith passed key fitness benchmarks last week before a freak warm-up incident ruled her out against the Bulldogs after she hurt her wrist moments before the match.

"She got through everything last week and got to the game. Just, whatever way the ball hit her in the warm-up, it was the only place it probably couldn't hit her that ended up hitting her," O'Riordan said. 

"But again, Tay's a test this week. Fingers crossed she can get up."

McEvoy is also pushing to play after suffering a low-grade ankle injury against the Bulldogs.

"It was pretty nasty; she got her leg trapped under her," O'Riordan said.

"She's avoided substantial damage, but, yeah, she looks like she's bounced back really well. She's bouncing around today, so hopefully she gets up for this week as well."

The loss of Morphett is expected to place greater responsibility on first-year tall Maddie Quinn, who shapes as the leading candidate to shoulder the primary ruck role unless Sydney reshuffles its structure.

After spending last week as the Swans' sole key forward, Quinn could now find herself tasked with filling one of the biggest voids in the side.

"We will assess that during the week," O'Riordan said when asked about team selection.

"We have to get through T1 and T2 (training). Like I said, there are a couple of knocks that we have to get through first before making that decision. It'll probably be Friday after T2. But it's a great opportunity for someone else to step in."

Asked about Quinn's opportunity, O'Riordan praised the teenager's mindset and readiness.

"Did she think she'd have it this year as a 19-year-old coming in for her first season? Probably not," he said. 

"But again, the way she goes about her footy, her mindset, her demeanour, and how she approaches training and games is why she is the player she is. We love having that on our team, and it's just another great opportunity for her to stand up and show the competition what she can do."

That confidence stems from a broader club philosophy Sydney has adopted from the men's program, with O'Riordan emphasising the importance of system and role execution over individual talent.

"We take a lot from listening to 'Paps' (Tom Papley) and Charlie (Curnow) talk after the game (against Brisbane), that we don't rely on talent alone. That's probably the biggest thing we can lean on from the men's side ... Our system is the exact same," he said.

"We have an approach where it's 'next person in'. If we play our system and play our brand, we think anyone can step in and play their role."