Sydney Swans defender Marty Mattner says shutting down North Melbourne’s versatile forward line will be a test for the Swans this Saturday.

Speaking ahead of the club’s final training session before the team travels to Hobart for this weekend’s clash, Mattner said the Swans back six will need to get on top of the Kangaroos’ mix of tall and small targets.

“In their forward line, they’ve got some tall players, but they’ve also got some smalls like Lindsay Thomas who has been really good over the last couple of weeks,” Mattner said.

“They’ve got Drew Petrie as well, so they’ve got some big targets.

“The midfield battle is going to be the big one, but also our defence is going to be massive as well.”

The Swans will be without Rhyce Shaw for this weekend’s clash after he suffered a lower abdominal strain last week.

Mattner said he expected either Dane Rampe or Tony Armstrong would get the call up in Shaw’s absence.

“Rhyce has been ruled out already so he won’t train today,” he said.

“Hopefully we get some young guys from the reserves … like Dane Rampe and Tony Armstrong, who have played really well in the last couple of weeks in the ressies and have been given a go in the NAB Cup, and hopefully they can step up and play.”

Despite losing Shaw and also Alex Johnson to injury, Mattner said he felt the Swans defence had enough versatility to cope with the Kangaroos’ tall targets this week.

He said the Swans tall defenders, Ted Richards, Heath Grundy and the ever-reliable Lewis Roberts-Thomson, would be interchangeable on North Melbourne’s leading forward Drew Petrie as well as fellow talls Lachie Hansen and Robbie Tarrant.

“I think that’s the best thing about our defence is that any of the three talls can take (Petrie),” Mattner said.

“LRT, Teddy or Reg can take him so it’s great having that flexibility so if someone goes off the ground the other one can take him.

“That ability for the whole defence to be able to play on a whole variety of players, talls and smalls, is the greatest thing we’ve got at the moment.”

On that note, Mattner said the Swans would also have a variety of match-up options for current league leading goal-kicker, Lindsay Thomas.

“I think (Nick Smith) will (line-up on him), but we’re good enough and we’re lucky enough to have a lot of other players who can play on him,” he said.

“Nick Malceski has been playing really well down there, and then there is myself and any other guys if they come in.”