GREATER Western Sydney youngster Darcy Jones has suffered a cruel blow, with the talented first-round pick set to miss his maiden season in the AFL after rupturing his ACL in the reserves over the weekend.

Jones was taken from the field in the opening stages of his first competitive hitout in Giants colours after hurting his knee, with scan results earlier this week confirming the worst possible news for last year's No.21 draft pick.

The small forward had initially been one of the standouts of the summer for GWS and had been in the frame for a round one debut, only for shoulder and quad injuries just before the season to rule him out of contention.

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He was making his return to action in Saturday's VFL clash with Carlton and had been earmarked by coach Adam Kingsley as a possible inclusion in the coming weeks, but the knee injury will rob him of his chance for senior football in 2023.

Jones, a 175cm small forward, shot into first-round calculations throughout his draft year after averaging 25.5 disposals and a goal per game at Colts level with WAFL side Swan Districts.

The blow to Jones is another setback to the Giants' exciting crop of small forward prospects, with former Melbourne goalkicker Toby Bedford still expected to miss at least another month as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Speaking over the summer, Kingsley had told AFL.com.au that he expected Jones – along with new recruit Bedford and the returning Brent Daniels – to refresh the side's small forward stocks this season.

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Veteran defender Phil Davis made his return from an ankle injury in the side's 39-point VFL victory over Carlton, with midfielder Harry Perryman (hamstring), wingman Xavier O'Halloran (quad) and defender Leek Aleer (quad) also nearing comebacks.