Although Richards remains a key component of Sydney's back six, the club is wary of recalling the veteran too soon. Ordinarily, one game in the reserves would be enough for a player of Richards' importance to earn a recall but his wretched run with injury is not helping.

Richards has been limited to just six games this year due to a calf strain, facial surgery and concussion – the latter forcing him to consider retirement.

"Whether he plays or not we're not sure yet. He got through the game, pulled up well and trained Saturday," Swans coach John Longmire said. "It'll just come down to what we look like during the week and whether or not he needs another game in the twos or comes back in.

"We want to get some continuous footy into him. We'll look at what's in front of us, when's he ready to play, when does it give him the best chance to play really well. If he's ready to go, he'll play. But we've also been happy with how the other guys have filled that job while he's been out injured."

Heath Grundy and Dane Rampe have been in arguably career-best form this year, while youngster Aliir Aliir has shown promise in his first two games. The absence of a star tall forward in the Bulldogs' attack will also lessen the need for the Swans to rush Richards back.

Dependable backman Jeremy Laidler needs to train well this week to show he has overcome a knee issue, while youngster Harry Marsh has already been ruled out.

The Swans climbed to the top of the ladder briefly during the weekend despite having the bye but games against the Bulldogs, Geelong and Hawthorn in the next three weeks will provide a litmus test of their premiership credentials.

"There's a number of top-eight teams playing each other and they're always red-hot games no matter who you play," Longmire said. "There's no question it's a really good challenge ahead of us."

The Swans' midfield have maintained their high standards for much of this year though it's no coincidence the three games where they have been down resulted in losses. It sets the scene for a bruising battle against the Bulldogs, who Longmire rates as the best contested ball team in the competition.

"They're really strong at the contest, excellent at out-numbering at the ball and they have a good mix of run as well," Longmire said.

The Swans were hit hard by injury leading into the bye but they have been encouraged by the form of youngsters such as Callum Mills, Zak Jones and James Rose. Dean Towers was another to play well before the break, raising hopes he can recapture the form he showed during last year's finals.

"Now it's just a matter of getting that consistency at senior level that he was able to display at the back end of last year and the confidence he can have in his own game that he can really impact," Longmire said.  "We've got a number of young blokes in the team who are playing key roles for us and still play a good level of footy. That's really good to see."