MIKE Pyke's rolled ankle shouldn't keep him out of next week's clash with Hawthorn, a relief not lost on Sydney Swans coach John Longmire.

Pyke was substituted out of the win over the Western Bulldogs early in the final quarter after landing awkwardly in a marking contest.

It was a disappointing end to an excellent game for the 28-year-old Canadian, who had perhaps the best outing of his short but increasingly impressive career.

Pyke had only eight disposals, but kicked three goals, took four contested marks (the most of any player on the ground), and also created several other chances for teammates. He worked outside the 50-metre arc to create contests, and was a leading target for his midfielders in an encouraging showing.

As well as being a handy sidekick to first-choice ruckman Shane Mumford, Pyke has quickly become an important player in his own right for the Swans.

"He just keeps getting better, which is a credit to him. He's come into the game at such a late age and his ability to learn and listen and implement is second to none, really," Longmire said post-game.

"He's come in and shown he can be a really competitive ruckman, and the real challenge for him is to compete as a forward.

"If you had asked me [at the start of the year], whether we'd be going with two genuine rucks [at this point of the season], I'd have probably said no. But he's been able to hold his spot through consistent performances and really contribute."

The Swans' forwards coach, Henry Playfair, has worked closely with Pyke to develop that streak in his game.

Slowly but surely, Pyke has improved his marking and body positioning, and Playfair has also noticed Pyke's footy education and game sense start to sharpen.  

"It's something that's slowly starting to come through. I don't think it's something you can necessarily coach, it just comes from playing footy," Playfair said.

"He's a Canadian rugby union player, playing his fourth year of senior AFL footy.

"You can never set too many limits on him, and we're hoping those things do really start to come through in his game."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.