That winning feeling

The Sydney Swans are sitting pretty on top of the AFL ladder with a 3-0 record, one of only three unbeaten sides alongside Gold Coast Suns and North Melbourne.

Longmire’s men cruised to wins over Collingwood and Carlton in the opening rounds, then responded when challenged on Saturday by a strong-willed GWS to keep that winning feeling well and truly alive.

The toughest task to date however will be at the hands of the Crows in this weekend’s Round 4 blockbuster at Adelaide Oval.

The Crows are in some great form, demolishing cross-town rivals Port Adelaide before backing up with a strong win over Richmond at the MCG last weekend.

Armed with a hard running midfield and imposing forward line, the Crows can be a dangerous side when allowed to dictate terms.

The Swans will need to be switched on right from the start on Saturday night to ensure that winning streak remains intact.

Conquering the Crows’ nest

Adelaide Oval can be a hostile venue at the best of times, the noise of the crowd can be deafening when the home side gets a run on.

Silencing the buzz becomes almost a key to winning and the Sydney Swans have made a habit of doing just that in recent times.

The Swans have graced the Adelaide Oval turf three times since the venue became a regular on the AFL fixture, returning home with the goods each time.

One of those was against Adelaide (in Round 3, 2014) when the Luke Parker and Lance Franklin-led Swans came away with a 63-point win.

All in all, the two clubs have square off 36 times over the journey with the Swans trailing 14 wins and 22 losses. But the last four results have fallen the red and white’s way.

Lance Franklin booted four goals in the last clash between the two clubs at the Adelaide Oval.

Is McVeigh a chance?

Senior coach John Longmire has been quick to rule out Jarrad McVeigh in recent weeks as the co-captain continues his recovery from off-season knee surgery.

But the veteran of 12 seasons has been training with the main group for the best part of a month now and has the capacity to slot back into the starting line-up without any match practice, so can this be the week we welcome the premiership skipper back?

Longmire was non-committal in Tuesday’s press conference, declaring the decision would be left to later in the week to give McVeigh every opportunity of proving himself fit for the Round 4 encounter with Adelaide.

McVeigh’s inclusion would be a massive boost to a side already boasting strong form.

Jarrad McVeigh is in the mix for a senior recall.

A red-hot Swan

Dynamic midfielder Luke Parker has enjoyed an incredible start to season 2016.

The 23-year-old has forced the competition to take notice after averaging 34 disposals per game over the first three rounds.

He earned the maximum 10 votes from the coaches following his best afield performance against GWS last weekend, winning the Brett Kirk Medal, and for the third straight round earned a spot in the AFL’s Team of the Week.

By the numbers, Parker has made a brighter start to the year compared to his Club Champion winning season of 2012.

After coming up against a talented Giants’ midfield, the Swans will need all guns blazing to contain the home side and walk away with the four points.

Luke Parker has enjoyed a superb start to season 2016.

Adelaide ups the ante

Adelaide’s form has got people talking in AFL circles.

The Crows, under the direction of new coach Don Pyke, are playing a scintillating brand of football which involves quick ball movement, pinpoint skills and scoreboard pressure.

Despite going in understrength, Adelaide’s forward structure still eclipsed 120+ points against Richmond at the MCG last weekend.

Working against them this weekend, however, will be the Swans’ defensive stranglehold on said set-up. The Crows haven’t registered a 100-point score in any of the previous 10 encounters between the two clubs.

With the Swans’ back six in solid form, the focus might turn towards one end as the likes of Heath Grundy, Ted Richards and Jeremy Laidler go head-to-head with Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins and Tom Lynch.

Taylor Walker poses a threat for the Swans' backline.