Gold Coast co-captain Tom Lynch has been carrying injury for the past few weeks and would have continued playing had the AFL club not made the decision to put him on ice, according to coach Stuart Dew.
Lynch will miss the Suns' next three matches due to a recurrence of the PCL problem that ended his 2017 campaign, as well as an ankle problem that limited his ability to strengthen the muscles around his knee.
Dew said the call was made to rest Lynch out of concern for his future.
"Tom being tom, he'd roll out every week," Dew told reporters.
"That's good at times, but sometimes you have to save the players.
"There comes a point where you have to look after he player.
"We thought with the bye, he needed a bit of a break, so this way he misses one less game.
"As a club our duty to the player is to help, short, medium and long-term."
Dew said Lynch's knee was "the worst it's been" after the 25-year-old pulled up sore from their heavy defeat to Adelaide last weekend.
It doesn't require surgery but he will spend the next four weeks working on his quad strength to ensure the problem doesn't return.
Dew admitted the Suns would be "tested" in key positions, with co-captain Steven May also out this week due to an infected finger.
Midfielder David Swallow will captain the side in the pair's absence against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat on Saturday.
Swallow had a team-high 32 touches and kicked three goals against the Crows.
"I think the way he played last week is fitting, he gets the reward this week to be captain," Dew said.
"He just leads by example with his physicality and the way he approaches his footy.
"Everyone sees the two hours on Saturday but he's a great leader from Monday to Friday."
