Massive doubt remains over whether Sydney's Rising Star winner Callum Mills will take further part in the AFL season after suffering a hamstring injury in the Swans' 36-point qualifying final loss to GWS.
The gifted 19-year-old came off the ground in the second quarter of Saturday's match visibly distressed.
"He's hurt his hamstring - I don't know how severe but that's what the call came back," Swans coach John Longmire said.
If confirmed as a higher-level hamstring injury, Mills will miss the remainder of the season.
However Longmire didn't have sufficient information to speculate on whether he was a chance of playing again.
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"We don't have the luxury of having a scan at the moment ... we'll have to wait and see."
Fellow defender Nick Smith said he had his fingers crossed for Mills.
"Hopefully it's alright," he told AAP.
"Probably a hammy doesn't look too good on face value but he'll get a scan tonight and see where he's at.
"But really disappointing if it is a decent hammy."
The injury added a sour note to a previously sweet week for the Swans academy graduate.
He was officially recognised on Tuesday as the competition's brightest youngster, winning the prestigious Rising Star award.
As AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan noted earlier on Saturday, Mills was the award's first NSW-born winner.
Longmire will have the chance to assess potential candidates to replace him by watching Sunday's NEAFL grand final against the Giants.
Veteran defenders Jeremy Laidler and Ted Richards are among those who could push for promotion.
The Swans didn't appear to have any other injury issues.
Longmire said midfielder Josh Kennedy and ruckman Kurt Tippett passed concussion tests while he thought forward Tom Papley, who kicked the first two goals of the game, had a sore knee but was okay.
