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Coach Leon Cameron says GWS must be creative and smart as they attempt to cover the absence of Lachie Keeffe and other key players amid an AFL injury crisis.

GWS have ruled out swinging star recruit Jesse Hogan into defence as they stew over the best way to shore up an injury-depleted and inexperienced back line.

Lachie Keeffe's season-ending setback has compounded the Giants' injury woes, leaving coach Leon Cameron with a major selection headache ahead of Saturday's Marvel Stadium clash with Richmond.

Keeffe has joined fellow backmen Phil Davis, Nick Haynes, Sam Reid, Adam Kennedy and Jake Stein on the sidelines, while Stephen Coniglio, Matt de Boer, Braydon Preuss and Brent Daniels also remain unavailable.

Jeremy Finlayson, who has played as a key defender previously, will be an enforced omission because of his one-game ban for striking.

It has left Cameron scrambling to find match-ups for the Tigers' potent forward line, which is headlined by stars Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt.

Hogan was deployed as a defender by former club Fremantle, but Cameron says the Perth key forward will play in GWS's front half if cleared to return from a tight calf in the rematch of the 2019 grand final.

Foundation Giant Matt Buntine, who is on track to return from concussion, and young forward Jake Riccardi, who played in defence at VFL level after being dropped earlier this month, are instead the leading candidates for call-ups.

"We might consider both (Buntine and Riccardi). We've got the flexibility," Cameron said on Wednesday.

"You just can't replace 204cm key defenders.

"We're going to have to be creative and smart.

"It's shattering. Keeffe has been super for us during the last 12 months."

Cameron was cautiously optimistic about Hogan's chances of returning.

"He's got to get through a good 50-minute session. We expect that to happen, if he does and pulls up well then we'll play him," Cameron said.

"We're also mindful he's coming back from a long period out of the game, so we're not going to push it."

Toby Greene's five-goal haul helped the Giants defeat Richmond last year.

However, this weekend will mark the clubs' first meeting in Melbourne since Damien Hardwick's team crushed GWS by 89 points in the 2019 grand final.

"It'll always be there because it's part of history. Not a good part of history for us because we let ourselves down," Cameron said.

"Both sides will go in with a number of injuries.

"They would have been disappointed with their performance last week.

"Equally they've got enormous ability to bounce back pretty quickly, that's why they've been the premier team over the last four years."