Sydney Swans coach John Longmire confident returning defenders will help seek revenge against Geelong

In round six, the Swans came away from their grand final rematch against the Cats with further misery. John Longmire believes it will be a different equation at the SCG on Friday.

Defensive reinforcements will be the key for the Swans as they prepare for their second grand-final rematch against the Cats.

Sydney was trounced in Geelong by 93 points in round six in a game where they were forced to field a smaller backline because of their injury woes.

The inclusion of Dane Rampe, Lewis Melican and potentially Tom McCartin from concussion for their clash at the SCG on Friday has John Longmire confident his side will be a completely different proposition.

“Hopefully Callum Mills is not standing on Tom Hawkins in the opposition goalsquare this week,” Longmire said.

“It’s certainly different teams [this time around], there’s no question about that.

“We know what Geelong can do. We know they’re a really good team but we’re also confident what we can do. [It’s a] new opportunity and new game this week.”

Hawkins finished with five goals in round six. Picture: Michael Klein

The Swans head into the match on the back of a record 171-point win over West Coast.

Geelong coach Chris Scott said that they were unlikely to focus too much on that game as preparation, a sentiment shared by Longmire.

“It was an unusual game as far as that’s concerned … I can understand why Chris probably didn’t spend much time looking at that,” Longmire said.

“In the end, we did what we had to do and move on this week. From that perspective, it’s been in our players’ minds to put that one aside and know the contest and availability of Geelong’s team is going to be a fair bit different.

“We know that they’ll be prepared. They get a couple of players back this week and they’ll be even stronger.”

The Eagles clash however did signal a return to form for Isaac Heeney. With five goals to his name, it was the star forward’s best performance of 2023 and a reminder of what he can produce.

“He played well last week, but we put that aside pretty quickly,” he said.

“We’re confident that he’s going to play some really good footy in the back end of this year.

“He might have had a few quiet weeks but then we know what he’s capable of doing. We saw that last week.”

Heeney finished with his biggest haul of the season against the Eagles. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Heeney could be joined in the forward line against the Cats by Buddy Franklin. The Swans will monitor his recovery from Wednesday’s training session before making a call on his availability.

With nine matches left this season, it’s likely the Swans would need at least seven wins to force their way back into the top eight.

That will prove difficult as a hard draw means their remaining fixtures are all against teams on equal points or above on the ladder.

Longmire’s philosophy has always been to focus on one match at a time and he doesn’t plan to change that approach.

“I think you have to be mindful if you build one game up bigger than the other, what does that mean for the next game? I think they’re all big,” he said.

“In our players’ minds, it’s about making sure we give ourselves a chance both as an individual and as a team sense to play really well.

“We’re about what’s in front of us now and understanding that, rather than looking too far ahead or behind. It’s what happens on Friday night.”