Sydney winger Justin McInerney will make his long-awaited AFL return from injury in a massive boost for the Swans in their preliminary final against Fremantle.
But the Swans will only roll the dice on one fit-again star, with key forward Joel Amartey to remain on the sidelines for Friday's match at the SCG.
Fringe defender Lewis Melican will also come into coach Dean Cox's side after veteran Harry Cunningham hurt his calf during training on Wednesday.
Fremantle will take an unchanged side to the SCG, with key defender Brennan Cox left in WA despite proving fit from a calf injury.
McInerney (hamstring) and Amartey (Achilles) haven't played in the AFL or VFL in three months.
But key forward Hayden McLean's impressive stint as Amartey's cover has proven enough to convince Cox to keep him.
McLean kicked three goals in the club's qualifying-final upset over Brisbane, pulling his weight with fellow talls Charlie Curnow (five goals) and Logan McDonald (six).
McInerney's return will be a welcome reprieve for the understrength Swans, with main ball-winners Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner among five players serving club-imposed bans.
Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice are the other Swans who won't play again this season.
"Justin will play and Joel won't. That's just the decision we had to make," Cox said on Thursday.
"We need to acknowledge that the players that played in that forward line group, whether they be tall or small, played their role as well as we needed them to.
"The decision was, 'do we have to turn that around and change it or do we just go in with what worked?', and that's what we're going to do.
"With Justin, he's had a lot of work put in throughout this period of time. It's a matter of now backing him in."
Melican gets the call-up to the finals stage after being forced to bide his time in the VFL.
The defender has only played 10 games so far, last playing in the club's round-22 win over Port Adelaide.
Cox was already mulling the make-up of his defence after captain Callum Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury during the qualifying final against Brisbane.
Mills will have a match-day role either on the bench or in the coaches' box after undergoing surgery on Wednesday.
"We've still got to work that out with Callum," Cox said of the captain's role in the preliminary final.
"I saw him last night, and it's just now a matter of seeing how that goes first.
"One thing Callum's always done is put the team first, and he'll do that again and hopefully support us in any way possible."
West Coast great Cox wouldn't be drawn on his former rivalry with the Dockers - or on Fremantle champion and Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich's old ties.
"I've been here nine years now. My focus is on making sure that I can do whatever I can to get this team to where it needs to get to," Cox said.
"I think the only emotion is he (Pavlich) wants us to win on Friday night.
"I understand we've all been at different clubs, but the club you're at, you're all in."
