SYDNEY Swans forward Ryan O'Keefe says an off-season injection of pace has his side better equipped to tackle the hard-running Western Bulldogs at Canberra's Manuka Oval on Saturday.
The Dogs defeated the Swans in each of their three clashes last year, including a 37-point win in a semi-final at the MCG.
However, the addition of pacy flanker Rhyce Shaw and athletic ruckman Jesse White has given the Swans some much-needed mobility and speed through the middle of the ground.
Rodney Eade's men showed they were nearing top form last weekend when they narrowly failed to knock off an undefeated Geelong, but O'Keefe said the Swans would relish the challenge of battling the Dogs.
The Dogs defeated the Swans in each of their three clashes last year, including a 37-point win in a semi-final at the MCG.
However, the addition of pacy flanker Rhyce Shaw and athletic ruckman Jesse White has given the Swans some much-needed mobility and speed through the middle of the ground.
Rodney Eade's men showed they were nearing top form last weekend when they narrowly failed to knock off an undefeated Geelong, but O'Keefe said the Swans would relish the challenge of battling the Dogs.
“They were very good [against Geelong with] their ability to score very quickly – twice in the game, they were six goals down so they’ve got that resilience about them,” he said.
“Last year, they exposed us a little bit on the outside for pace but we’re better equipped this year. Especially in that final, they really targeted Spider (former Swan Peter Everitt) out in the zones and they got us a few times out there.
“I think we’re a much quicker side this year than last year, so it’s going to be a good match-up.”
A win against the Bulldogs on Saturday would give the Swans three successive wins, a 6-4 record and perhaps more crucially, a chance to leap above the mid-table congestion in one of the most even seasons in recent memory.
O’Keefe said the Swans hadn’t specifically set their sights on a particular win-loss record at the end of the year, but he admitted a victory in Canberra would force them to reassess their expectations.
“If we get over the Dogs, you’ve got to make sure you set your bar high,” he said.
“Top four – you’re going to have to play well the whole year to make the finals and it’s going to be pretty tough. It’s such an even competition. We didn’t really sit down and say ‘That’s it; we’ve got to make top four’.
“I suppose making the top four always gives you the best opportunity to have a real crack at it.
“Not too many sides have won it from the bottom half of the top eight. As long as we get into the finals, that would be a good achievement.”
