AS SYDNEY reels from the scandal that has derailed its season, coach Dean Cox has to somehow prepare his remaining players for a game in three days' time, and a finals campaign next month.
The club-imposed suspensions to five key players - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon - have rocked the entire AFL competition. And while the ongoing police investigation remains of primary importance, the on-field ramifications are also significant.
Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham said this week the club has "effectively torpedoed their season" by banning the five players, but the reality is the second-placed Swans still have a minimum of three games left to play, including two finals.
Cox's first significant move came on Thursday night, when the Swans were required to name their extended 26-player squad for Sunday's match against North Melbourne.
The five banned players, who have all dropped out from the side that beat Essendon last weekend, are key members of Sydney's best side and between them have played 106 of a possible 110 games for the club this season.
Heeney, Warner and Blakey, regarded as some of the best players in the competition, are impossible to replace and it's been more than six years - round 10, 2020 - since the Swans played a game without at least one of that trio on the field.
All three players have been incredibly durable in recent years; Blakey has played 109 consecutive games, Warner has missed just five since the start of 2022, while Heeney has played 136 of a possible 142 games since the start of 2021.
While lower profile, Jordon has not missed a game since arriving in the 2023 trade period, playing 71 in a row, while Bice has played 36 games in two seasons, although he was dropped for two games earlier this season.
So what options does Cox have, both to face North on Sunday and for at least two finals next month?
One option off the table for this weekend was Justin McInerney, who had hoped to return to face the Kangaroos but had a setback in his recovery from a serious hamstring injury, with the club announcing on Tuesday he will miss a further 2-3 weeks.
James Rowbottom is available again after recovering from a broken hand, Angus Sheldrick has also been recalled as a pure midfield option, while veteran defender Harry Cunningham is also back to full fitness.
Replacing Heeney and Warner's on-field talents would be impossible, but Warner's brother Corey Warner and Caiden Cleary are options as forward-half players who can rotate in the midfield and have both been named on an extended bench to face the Roos.
A like-for-like replacement for Blakey is difficult to find, but a possible debutant - Patrick Snell - is in the extended squad for Sunday having impressed at VFL level this season. The versatile Jai Serong, who has played on a wing and in the midfield this season, could also be shifted into defence to replace Blakey.
Small forwards Malcolm Rosas and Tom Hanily have also tasted senior football this year and will be considered for a return on Sunday.
Those unavailable this weekend include tall forwards Hayden McLean (concussion) and Joel Amartey, who is still two weeks away from recovering from an Achilles issue, but both should be available for finals.
The Swans will undoubtedly be well below full strength for their September campaign, but with two home finals guaranteed, they are still set to play a role in finals.
Sydney's best 23 for finals
FB: Sam Wicks, Joel Hamling, Dane Rampe
HB: Harry Kyle, Tom McCartin, Callum Mills
C: Jai Serong, Angus Sheldrick, Justin McInerney*
HF: Jake Lloyd, Logan McDonald, Tom Papley
FF: Jesse Dattoli, Charlie Curnow, Joel Amartey*
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Errol Gulden, James Rowbottom*
I/C: Braeden Campbell, Hayden McLean*, Matt Roberts, Harry Cunningham, Billy Cootee
Emerg: Lewis Melican, Malcolm Rosas, Caiden Cleary, Corey Warner
* fitness pending