SYDNEY Swans ruckman Mike Pyke has been ruled out of Friday night's clash against Essendon at Etihad Stadium with a minor hamstring strain.
Pyke, who suffered the injury in the round seven win over the Brisbane Lions, didn't get through training at the end of last week and coach John Longmire said he wouldn't make the trip to Melbourne this week.
With the 30-year-old to miss his second consecutive match, Tom Derickx will again lead the ruck against the Bombers, with support from Sam Reid and Kurt Tippett.
Longmire said the Swans' big-man structure was well placed to compete against the Dons.
“We’ll go in this week with a bit more game time under Kurt’s belt and 'Reidy' has played a bit more in the ruck," he said.
"They've got (Patrick) Ryder in the ruck, who’s a really athletic ruckman and a big jumper, and he gets around the ground really well.
"(Joe) Daniher’s the other one … they can play forward, and when they do play in the ruck, they’ve got a big jump and get plenty of the ball."
Meanwhile at Gold Coast, young ruckman Tom Nicholls has undergone successful surgery to repair his injured posterior cruciate ligament.
The 22-year-old had scans on his left knee in Melbourne on Monday and opted to undergo surgery on Saturday.
He will remain in Melbourne with his family for the next couple of days, before returning to the club to commence his rehabilitation program.
Football manager Marcus Ashcroft said the exact timeframe that Nicholls will be sidelined would become clear as he moves through his rehabilitation.
Zac Smith has also moved a step closer to an AFL return with the Suns returning him to the senior list. Andrew Boston returns to the rookie list as a result.
