SYDNEY'S faint finals hopes have suffered a critical blow, with All-Australian midfielder Laura Gardiner effectively ruled out of the home-and-away season with a broken hand. 

The 21-year-old suffered the injury during the Swans' narrow loss to her former club, Geelong, on Sunday, and she has been given a rough rehab timeframe of at least 3-4 weeks, if not more.

"Laura went for a tackle last game against Geelong and her hand hit the body of the opposition player awkwardly," coach Scott Gowans said in his mid-week presser.

"Unfortunately, she’s done some damage to her hand so she’s off to see a specialist, but Laura will be out for extended time. 

"We won’t know how long until we get the results but it’s not looking good – it’ll be a bonus if we see her again this season."

Sydney is already without its other two All-Australians – ruck Ally Morphett (fractured foot) and co-captain Chloe Molloy (ACL) – for the remainder of the year, while No.1 pick Montana Ham remains a week-to-week proposition as she manages a foot issue.

Gowans said the talented midfielder had trained well on Wednesday and will "be up for selection" for Sunday's game.

"We've got a job to do down there and we trust (the team), and we've got a bit of belief our effort and intensity has been really good. Pressure has been through the roof, so if we bring that then you just never know," Gowans said.

"We're all about improving in increments and I think we've improved each week over the last month or so. It's a big challenge but it's a great challenge and nothing to lose. We go down there and take them on and learn a lot about ourselves and how we connect with each other and that's the main message."

The Swans face North Melbourne (North Hobart Oval), Gold Coast (Henson Park), Brisbane (Brighton Homes Arena) and West Coast (Henson Park) in their run home.

As of Wednesday, they sit 12th with two wins and five losses, two games out of the top eight.

Sydney has lost its past three matches by a cumulative 13 points.

"The way we're looking at it is that we've had the opportunity to be in those games and that's exciting and we've learned a lot," Gowans said.

"From a game sense point of view, we're getting better and better at protecting moments, then taking advantage of other moments, and that puts us in good stead for 2025."