SYDNEY coach Colin O'Riordan has acknowledged the very real challenge of homesickness that interstate players face, speaking specifically about star youngster Zippy Fish.

The soon-to-be uncontracted Swans sensation, who is approaching the end of her initial two-year draftee deal, has drawn strong rival interest following a brilliant start to her AFLW career.

As reported on AFL.com.au last month, the race for the reigning Rising Star winner is down to three options: a move to Fremantle or Geelong, or staying in Sydney on a new deal.

Speaking to media about Fish's future on Wednesday, O'Riordan balanced her undeniable value to the club with the difficulty of being away from her family and support network.

Having moved from Ireland to play AFL, O'Riordan relates directly to her situation.

"I'm probably the person best suited to talk about homesickness because I've lived it, and it is a real thing," he said.

"But from a football perspective, the way she played on the weekend clearly shows the calibre of player she is, and we'll do everything we can to keep her at our club."

Despite external pressure and the "pull" to return home, O'Riordan stressed that Fish remains focused purely on playing football week in and week out.

"We understand the pull to home is there for 'Zip', being so far away from family and friends. But the one thing she's been really conscious of all year is that she just wants to play footy," he said.

"She is mature beyond her years, she just wants to keep rocking up every week. That background stuff will take care of itself, but for the minute, she just wants to keep putting in, and I'm more than happy to facilitate that.

Rather than pitching purely on football terms, the club's approach centres on support, open communication, and "wrapping their arms around her" to help guide her decision.

"We've sat down and had open conversations with her, outlined our strategy and what we're trying to achieve, but mostly it's just about wrapping our arms around her," O'Riordan said.

"It is hard for a young 20-year-old girl to travel across the country with no family support; that's a tough place to be. We'll continue to wrap our arms around her and give her the best opportunities inside the footy club, and that's all we can do. She loves it at the footy club."

Addressing whether Western Australian opponents might try to recruit her on-field during upcoming matches, O'Riordan acknowledged the possibility while stressing that external chatter remains uncontrollable.

"Potentially, maybe yes. I'm not going to get into trying to guess what opposition players are going to say to her," he said.

"She just wants to play footy. She's an amazing person and an amazing footballer, and from speaking to Zip, she just wants to keep playing good footy. Whatever the opposition might say to her is out of our control."

O'Riordan said contract discussions to extend three-time All-Australian Chloe Molloy are also progressing quietly behind the scenes as she nears the final years of the five-year marquee deal she signed when moving from Collingwood before the 2023 season.

"I'll make no bones about it: Chloe and Zip are two incredible players. I love coaching Chloe. We've seen this year what a superstar she is, what she brings to our footy club, and the flair she plays with," he said.

"It's a credit to her; she's having an even better season than last year. There's no doubt we love having Chloe at our footy club, and hopefully we can work through everything over the coming months."

Meanwhile, O'Riordan said the Swans were taking a cautious approach regarding Sofia Hurley's potential return for finals after suffering an ankle injury in round five.

"It's truly week-to-week; such a cliché, but so true," he said. 

"She did a little bit more training this morning, and hopefully she'll progress again this week. It was a pretty nasty injury, so we're just trying to stay focused on herself and not get ahead of ourselves. There are a lot of boxes to tick before she can put her hand up for selection, but we're not putting a definitive timeline on it yet."

While her immediate return remains uncertain, Sydney secured a major off-field win by locking in the co-vice-captain on a contract extension through at least the end of 2028 after drawn-out negotiations.

"It made my weekend when I heard about it," O'Riordan said.

"She is just a top-class person and human, and probably one of the best leaders I've seen at a footy club. The way she's taken on the role of vice-captain this year sums up the kind of person she is; a leader inside and outside the four walls."

Highlighting her upside, he added: "The scary thing is she probably doesn't realise how good she can be either, which is a credit to how humble she is. She's a top-class person, a top-class player, and we're absolutely rapt she's going to be part of our footy club for the next couple of years."