SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Roos says the club had no choice but to stand down key forward Barry Hall.

Roos says he can understand that Hall is confused and upset by what happened on Monday.

The Swans have taken the radical step of standing down Hall and it is up to club psychologist Grant Brecht to decide if and when he returns to football.

Asked if he thought this was it for Hall's career, Roos replied: "I don't know, that will be told in time.

"That's certainly not my view - I don't think any of us have done this to suggest to Hally he won't play again, quite the contrary.

"My concern would be him playing the next week and perhaps his career ending on a really, really bad note - we don't want that to happen.

"We're actually trying to prolong his career by doing what we're doing now, rather than put him in a position that, as I said, the experts are telling me that he just can't cope with."

Asked if it was hard telling Hall, Roos has said he has a lot of time for the key forward, but in the end it was not a hard decision to make.

"In a way, it wasn't a hard decision. It was the only decision we could make as a football club," Roos said.

Hall is already suspended for one game after attempting to strike Collingwood opponent Shane Wakelin and it was that incident which prompted the club's decision not to let him play.

The Sydney coach added he had no problem with Hall's criticism of the club decision.

Hall told Fairfax newspapers that he did not think being stood down was the solution.

"Neither of us (Roos or Hall) are probably qualified to determine what's right or wrong for him, so that's where I've got to take the advice of the experts," Roos said.

"I'm happy to do that, based on what I saw on Saturday night as well.

"I don't have a problem with what Hally said. It's certainly not a case of Sydney Swans versus Barry Hall.

"We'll do everything we possibly can to support Hally ... we'll do everything we can to get him back on the field just as soon as we can."