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Geelong coach Chris Scott is adamant Joel Selwood won't be affected by the recent criticism of his reputation when the star captain Brisbane in a Thursday night AFl showdown at the Gabba.

Selwood was fined a combined $3000 by the AFL's match review officer for two separate incidents in last week's after-the-siren win over the Western Bulldogs.

The 33-year-old accepted a $1000 sanction for pushing his fist into Bailey Dale's head as the Bulldogs defender was pinned on the ground in a tackle.

Selwood also copped a $2000 fine for stumbling over the leg of Taylor Duryea when the former Hawks player had fallen to the ground after taking a mark.

Criticism of Selwood's actions came thick and fast with Collingwood legend Tony Shaw even describing them as two of the worst things a player can do on a football field.

Shaw said Selwood could have broken Duryea's leg if the contact was made in a slightly different spot.

Dual North Melbourne premiership star David King was also scathing of Selwood's actions.

Scott conceded Selwood made a mistake in the first incident involving Dale.

But he was angry at how the second incident - when Selwood stumbled over Duryea's leg - had been portrayed.

"Joel is an icon of the game. His reputation is important to him and it's important to us," Scott said.

"Humans in general, but footy players, even good ones - captains, legends of the game - make mistakes, and they should put their hand up for that, which is what Joel did, in particular for one of those incidents.

"But the second one where he accidentally stood on someone was a genuine mistake.

"And I think it's actually incumbent on people in the footy industry to treat Joel Selwood with a level of respect whereby when he says something, they believe him."

Scott said the commentary hadn't affected Selwood heading into the game against the Lions.

"He handles it like the ultimate pro, so it won't have any bearing on him at all," Scott said.

"But I think the broader issue over the long term, if people are saying with a straight face that it tarnishes his reputation, I think that reflects more on them than it does on him."

The Cats were dealt a huge blow when star midfielder Mitch Duncan was ruled out for an extended period with a right knee injury.

Last week's medical sub Shaun Higgins could come into the 22 to fill the void, but Scott said no one could truly replace Duncan.

"I've always been a believer that it's impossible to replace your best players like for like, and Mitch is certainly in that category," Scott said.

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A Queensland mother accused of killing her two daughters by leaving them locked in a car parked in soaring temperatures has wept as she was committed to stand trial for their murders.

Toddlers Darcey-Helen, two, and Chloe-Ann, one, were found dead in a black station wagon parked in the front yard of their Logan home, south of Brisbane, in November 2019.

Their mother, Kerri-Ann Conley, is charged with two counts of murder under a new definition in Queensland which includes reckless indifference to human life.

She is the first person to be charged under the expanded definition, which came into law in March 2019.

A barefoot and emotional Conley struggled to hold back tears as she faced a committal hearing in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

At times she refused to look at witnesses, instead focusing on a supporter in the court gallery.

Police will allege Conley put her two young daughters in the car around 6.30am before going back inside her home that day.

The girls remained in the station wagon as temperatures soared to 31 degrees and were not discovered until after 1pm - more than seven hours later.

A panicked Conley reportedly put her daughters in a cold bath as paramedics were called, but they could not be revived.

The girls were declared dead at the scene showing signs of being exposed to extreme heat.

Darcey-Helen's father, Peter Jackson, gave evidence at the hearing that both girls were scheduled to visit the weekend they died.

He tried to phone some 18 times and sent repeated text messages to ask where they were but could not raise Conley on the morning of the tragedy, the hearing was told.

She finally returned his calls just before 1.30pm, around the same time paramedics had been called.

Police prosecutor Tim Wise said police had collected more than 140 statements to be tendered as evidence.

Magistrate Michael O'Driscoll ordered Conley to stand trial as the tearful accused declined to enter a plea.

She blew a kiss to her supporter in the gallery as she was returned to custody.

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Sydney have been buoyed by rival AFL clubs' recent successes as they prepare for their own hit-and-run mission to South Australia for a clash with Port Adelaide.

The Swans are effectively home-bound for the time being as the harbour city grapples with its COVID-19 outbreak, with players restricted in their movement outside of training purposes and essential needs.

There is a chance those measures could be tightened further, with coach John Longmire on Tuesday still in the dark as to what the rest of the week holds.

The Swans may be forced to spend time in a tight lockdown, as Collingwood and Geelong did when operating under strict South Australian government protocols before their respective wins over the Crows and Power this month.

The Magpies and Cats also spent hours waiting in lockdown at Adelaide Oval before playing their matches.

"It can be done," Longmire said.

"It's obviously a different preparation.

"We had some experience of that last year - not quite to the extent that those teams had (in regards to) the hours that you spend at the ground.

"But we had some experience of it last year, it's not completely foreign.

"In the end, you've just got to roll the sleeves up and get the job done.

"We know that's not going to be easy, but whatever is thrown up at us you've got to get over those hurdles and get on with the job at hand."

Saturday's Power-Swans game could be brought forward from the 7.40pm (AEST) time slot to allow the Swans to fly in and out of Adelaide on the same day.

Sixth-placed Sydney suffered a home defeat to lowly Hawthorn before their bye and are looking to solidify a top-eight spot with a win over fifth-placed Port.

The Swans face a tough month ahead, with games against fellow top-eight sides West Coast and the Western Bulldogs to come before a derby clash with GWS.

"We're aware of what's coming up but we put all of our energies into each week," Longmire said.

"We understand that you've got to beat the best teams and the good thing is that we've got ourselves a chance a bit over the halfway point to be in a competitive position.

"Now it's a matter of playing against some of the best teams in the competition and it's a great opportunity against Port Adelaide this week."

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Dozens of baby squid from Hawaii have been blasted into space in a bid to help solve health problems faced by human astronauts.

The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the University of Hawaii's Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were sent into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station.

Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects the squid in hopes of bolstering human health during long space missions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on Monday.

The squid have a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate their bioluminescence.

When astronauts are in low gravity their body's relationship with microbes changes, said University of Hawaii professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who Foster studied under in the 1990s.

"We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid," Professor McFall-Ngai said.

"And, because it's a simple system, she can get to the bottom of what's going wrong."

Foster is now a Florida professor and principal investigator for a NASA program that researches how microgravity affects the interactions between animals and microbes.

"As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what's called dysregulated. It doesn't function as well," Professor Foster said.

"Their immune systems don't recognise bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick."

Foster said understanding what happens to the squid in space could help solve health problems faced by astronauts.

"There are aspects of the immune system that just don't work properly under long-duration spaceflights," she said.

"If humans want to spend time on the moon or Mars, we have to solve health problems to get them there safely."

The Kewalo Marine Laboratory breeds the squid for research projects around the world.

The tiny animals - about 7.6cm long as adults - are plentiful in Hawaiian waters.

The squid will come back to earth in July.

© AP 2021