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Sydney believe Tom Hickey, who had been a key part of the AFL club's strong start to the season, hurt his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in their derby loss.

Sydney's injury woes deepened as their undefeated start to the AFL season ended at the SCG, where ruckman Tom Hickey suffered a knee injury that could result in a long stint on the sidelines.

The Swans believe that Hickey damaged his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in a third-quarter ruck contest with Shane Mumford.

Sydney coach John Longmire is unsure how long Hickey will be out for, with scans to determine the severity of his suspected rupture.

Former West Coast, St Kilda and Gold Coast big man Hickey was shaping up to be one of the best recruits for 2021, having been a key part of the Swans' slick 4-0 start to the season.

Hickey briefly returned to the field after three-quarter time, but was soon substituted off as the Swans fell to a two-point loss.

"It's unfortunate," coach John Longmire said.

"I don't know (how influential it was in the result), how would you?

"That's the way it goes, you have to deal with it.

"There's a few boys (ready to step up in Hickey's absence). Whether it's Callum Sinclair, Hayden McLean or Joel Amartey in the twos.

"They got through (Saturday's reserves game) OK. Which is good."

Lance Franklin and GWS defender Connor Idun's legs tangled in a third-quarter collision, but Longmire didn't believe the four-time Coleman medallist suffered any serious damage.

Hickey's setback comes after stars Dane Rampe (broken finger) and Isaac Heeney (broken hand) were enforced omissions for the derby loss.

"It takes a whole squad to get through," Longmire said.

"That's not just a line.

"We had something like 39 players who played last year.

"You got to be playing well the next level down ... when spots open up or you force your way in, you want to be in good enough form to play well."

Saturday's elevation of young forward Will Hayward, who booted three goals and was one of the Swans' best during his first game of the season, underlined exactly what Longmire was talking about.

"He was pretty good," Longmire said.

"He wasn't doing a lot wrong to be fair. But it was just working pretty well, the way it was set up."