Although resigned to losing Gary Ablett for at least one match, Gold Coast SUNS coach Guy McKenna was putting a positive spin on his captain's knee injury following Saturday night's match against the Sydney Swans.

It might seem hard to believe for many, but McKenna said losing Ablett could be a good thing for his young team.

The Brownlow medallist and two-time premiership player will have scans on the right knee after injuring it in the first quarter.

"We think structurally it's better than expected but he didn't feel too comfortable on it. His situation is a bit like the kids, when in doubt rule him out, so we took him off," McKenna said.

"He'll get scanned. I think he'd be doubtful for at least one or two (matches) but I'd only be guessing."

Regardless of any time he spends on the sidelines, McKenna said Ablett's absence would provide opportunities for more GC SUNS players to be exposed at the top level.

Ablett has been in blistering form of late, averaging 33 disposals and two goals per match over his past seven.

"He's been so good and carried such a workload but what it does is allow us to play another young kid and spread the load and see who wants to put their hand up and stay the course," McKenna said.

"We've already spoken about how brutal the competition is. Don't think it's going to get any easier for us, it's going to get harder.

"If there is a beauty about Gary missing a game for us that would be it, we get to expose another young fella, we get to see another young boy that wants a crack."

McKenna was left to lament the GC SUNS performance against the Swans, saying that individually and collectively the team had lost some respect.

He said there was no doubt his younger players were getting tired after a hectic travel schedule that had already seen them play in Perth twice, Adelaide twice and Launceston.

"We didn't train that well. The conditioning blokes said we'd have to factor in a mid-week rest for our fellas which is Monday and Tuesday this week so I reckon the boys have got it right, they've picked the group well," he said.