Collingwood breathed a sigh of relief as Darcy Moore's knee injury was not as serious as initially feared, but even his short-term absence will be a test of its depth and resilience.
Fortunately for Moore and the Magpies, there is no structural damage to his left knee as Craig McRae and his coaching staff ponder the options of how they will cover the loss of their All-Australian defender.
Brody Mihocek played predominantly as a key defender with VFL club Port Melbourne, but he has become an integral member of Collingwood's attack and McRae would be reluctant to move him back.
The Magpies will regain Jeremy Howe, who missed the clash against Gold Coast because of illness, but the high-flyer will need support as opposition teams seek to exploit the defence without Moore in the next month.
Although the Magpies have been without No. 1 ruckman Brodie Grundy for the past nine games, they have enjoyed a fortunate run with injury this season.
As Collingwood eyes a finals spot, there will be added pressure on the midfield and forwards to work harder and more will be expected from senior players such as Jordan De Goey, who made an inauspicious return against the Suns after taking personal leave.
Should Stewart be All-Australian?
Tom Stewart cannot win this year's Brownlow Medal, but how he fares in the coveted award will be watched with interest.
Stewart deserved a four-game suspension at the AFL Tribunal for his crude hit on Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia and the brain fade cost him a genuine chance to become the first defender to win the medal since Gavin Wanganeen in 1993.
The star Cats defender was clearly best afield against the Tigers and should poll the three votes, but umpires tend not to reward players if they are likely to face suspension.
The attacking blond backman had been enjoying another magnificent season and gathered 40 disposals twice, against Fremantle and Adelaide.
Unlike other top teams laden with in-form, vote-grabbing midfielders, Stewart should be Geelong's leader from forward Jeremy Cameron at this stage.
The Brownlow is out, but the Cat remains eligible to win a fourth All-Australian blazer which raises the question - should players selected in the team of the year be the fairest and best or simply the best?
There have been many instances of players earning All-Australian selection after being suspended during the season including two last year: Toby Greene and Touk Miller.
If the best and fairest criterion is mandatory for the Brownlow medallist and Rising Star winner, maybe the same should apply to All-Australian selection.
Ban Kyrgios from Wimbledon
Imposing fines on Nick Kyrgios is not having the desired effect of curbing his boorish behaviour and the ATP should step in and suspend him from major tournaments.
Kyrgios earned far more by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon than the $14,400 fine he copped for spitting at spectators.
If the Australian was forced to miss Grand Slam events, he might change his errant ways, although this narcissist does not seem to care - it is all about Nick and always has been.
The sublimely-talented Kyrgios believes he is cool and the ultimate entertainer, but his antics and behaviour are turning spectactors off the game.
In this tournament he even let down his mate Thanasi Kokkinakis. The pair entered the doubles in the knowledge that matches were the best of five sets, only for Kyrgios to decide early on his focus was on the singles.
Kyrgios yearns for respect, but struggles with the notion of reciprocating to attain what he desperately desires.
How can you respect someone who shows scant regard for just about everything and everyone - his opponents, spectators, media and even the magnificent tradition of wearing white at Wimbledon.
He is not doing himself or this country any favours and there are three other Australians to support as Wimbledon enters its second week.
Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler are also through to the fourth round and there is an exciting prospect of an all-Australian quarter-final battle if Kyrgios and de Minaur advance.
In the women's singles Ajla Tomljanovic's chances of reaching the quarter-finals again gained a massive boost after top seed Iga Swiatek's unbeaten run of 37 matches was ended by Alize Cornet.
Galle pitch a disgrace
The dust-bowl pitch for the first Test in Galle was sub-standard and should be slammed by the International Cricket Council.
Match referee Javagal Srinath's report to the ICC should be scathing and rate the pitch as poor, but as the former Indian paceman is familiar with the spin-friendly sub-continent pitches his comments are likely to be less critical.
The spinners extracted prodigious turn from early on and dominated the match, making batting a difficult assignment.
Part-time off-spinner Travis Head completed the rout, taking his first Test wicket and finishing with the remarkable figures of 4-10 in Sri Lanka's second innings as Australia cruised to victory.
The match was over in just under 154 overs, which is a disastrous result for Test cricket.
Hopefully the pitch for the second Test at the same venue starting on Friday provides a much fairer contest between bat and ball, but the chances of that happening are not great.
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