SYDNEY coach Colin O'Riordan says the Swans will continue to experiment with their forward and ruck mix as they search for ways to cover the loss of injured star Ally Morphett.

Sydney's squad has faced a heavy injury toll this season, forcing the coaching staff to lean on young and inexperienced players such as draftee Maddie Quinn in demanding key forward and ruck roles amid a depleted tall brigade.

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Morphett's season-ending knee injury has created another challenge for the Swans as they push towards finals, leaving the club short on tall options. The in-form ruck's absence comes on top of ACL injuries to Alice Mitchell, Alex Neyland and Brenna Tarrant, while midfielder Sofia Hurley remains sidelined for up to two months following ankle surgery.

As a result, Sydney has been forced to explore different combinations, including rotating Quinn and marquee recruit Taylor Smith between the forward line and ruck.

O'Riordan praised Quinn and Smith for stepping into unfamiliar roles.

“We're asking them to play a role, obviously, given the significant injuries we have, and they've both just stood up to it,” he said on Wednesday.

“I'm on record saying she's (Quinn) a 19-year-old kid playing as a key forward in the competition, and she gets bashed a lot, so we need to protect her a little bit and see what that looks like this week. She probably needs a little bit more support in the forward line, whether it's height or whether it's just protecting her a little bit and not making her, I guess, get bashed in the ruck.

“So, Tay's done a really good job in that sense, and I think it's nice that we're exploring different things we can do every single week. Whether that's Tay forward, Tay ruck, Maddie forward, Maddie ruck, whether we give someone else a chop out in the ruck to help give 'Mads' a chop out or whether we bring someone else in.

"They're all questions we have to think about every week. So, we will work through that this week and come up with a solution, hopefully.”

Maddie Quinn competes with Zoe Besanko in the ruck during the match between Sydney and Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) at C.ex Coffs International Stadium in round three, 2026. Picture: Getty Images

One option under consideration is key forward Caitlin Reid who could provide additional height and support against Collingwood this Sunday.

"It's an option we have, and it's something we definitely need to consider,” he said of Reid's prospects.

Reid has featured just once this season, playing in Sydney's 23-point win over St Kilda in round three, after making seven appearances for the Swans in her debut season as a mature-aged recruit in 2025.

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Addressing the Swans' inability to defeat top-tier contenders so far this season, O'Riordan framed those defeats as valuable learning experiences rather than reasons for concern.

He said elite opposition, specifically citing the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and Carlton, were able to limit teams' time and space in a way younger sides are often unaccustomed to.

"It's a really good lesson for our group, who are a pretty young group, to come up against more experienced bodies, and what it looks like to play at that level against bigger bodies when you don't have as much time as you think you do," he said.

"What a great learning curve it's been for so many of our players ... we just need to get back to what makes us a good team this week."