Ahead of our Qualifying Final against the Melbourne Demons at the MCG, Joe Moore previews Friday night's blockbuster at the MCG.

According to author Will Storr, many great stories begin with a moment of unexpected change. When the brain detects change, our eighty-six billion brain cells combine to form a surge of neural activity. Ours were activated by the shift in game style during 2021's pre-season, and this is where the story of our current Swans begins. 

That change has brought hope, promise, and opportunity, and we're curious where this leads. On Friday night, the destination is the MCG and a qualifying final. 

One man who's lived that experience is 2012 Premiership ruckman Mike Pyke. 'Obviously, most of our guys are used to playing on the SCG, which is a great ground and close to everyone's heart.'

'But the MCG feels like a colosseum. It really feels like you're on a stage. So, that's the uniqueness of the ground and why many players say it's such a special place to play. That inherently brings a huge amount of pressure and a different atmosphere, but if you've prepared properly and the team has prepared properly, you feel like you're a contender when you're on that ground,' Pyke says.

In many ways, finals define football clubs. Co-captain and recently anointed All-Australian midfielder Callum Mills expressed his disappointment after losing last year's elimination final while remaining upbeat about his team's ability to bounce back.

'The confidence is sky high, and that's why it hurts so much because everyone knew we weren't done, but that's the reality of football.'

'Football doesn't really care about your story - it's one of those harsh realities. But we will be back - the boys have full confidence that we will be back, and I think there is a really, really special group here, and I hope we keep going upwards, and I think we will.'

As our young team discovered, the illogicality of football is heightened during the most pressurised matches - they are a different beast.

Martin Flanagan once described a particular final in the following way: 'It's not a game of centimetres, it's a game of millimetres, players working in the tiniest fragments of time and space, getting knocked down, getting up and rejoining play. The game has swallowed them alive and the crowd with them.'

Mike Pyke's footballing journey is quite simply one of the most extraordinary in the game's history. Upon signing his initial rookie contract in 2009, he was told in no uncertain terms by Paul Roos and Andrew Ireland that a Sydney Swans debut was all but a pipe dream.

But, his athletic abilities worked symbiotically with a thirst for learning and the contest. In just his twenty-fifth match, he made his finals debut. 

'In September, expectations are heightened, and in most cases, you're in the situation of 'do or go home,' Pyke recalls. 'Your first experience, you're probably a bit naive with what you'll be facing and don't expect how much the intensity might lift, but it certainly does.'

'I think the trick is something that we've figured out as a club now, is that you really need to try and keep a lid on expectations - bottle up the excitement and let it all go on the weekend. Everything has to be focused on Friday night because nothing else matters.'

During an average home and away fixture, Errol Gulden’s left boot is a guillotine reigning terror. Nick Blakey is an unstoppable tidal surge. Chad Warner bursts from contests like a scalded cat, reaping maximum impact. While they all can do so in a final, the congested nature demands that moments must be carefully chosen.

The importance of a multilayered approach when confronting the most skilled assailants cannot be underestimated, and this is not lost on John Longmire and his coaching team.

Throughout this season, the game style has matured, with the most salient elements of Bloods football strengthened, and we've various weaponry to deploy when it's all packaged together.

If you listen to most experts, you'll understand that defence wins premierships. ABC Sport's football analysts, Cody Atkinson & Sean Lawson, have identified the Swans' defence as being as solid as ever. The Swans rank in the top three for marks conceded inside 50 and points against per inside 50.

That defensive DNA has long been associated with the club and, according to Lawson, remains a key to success. 'Sydney's defence is collectively elite in most areas, preventing opposition marks and denying scoring off their own turnovers,' he says.

Sydney's scoring style has further developed from that defensive bedrock this year. We outscore opponents from intercepts by three goals per game but give up an extra goal than opponents from stoppages - a relatively unique profile.

Leading the way and providing the launchpad from which to attack are the brothers McCartin. Both have enjoyed career-best seasons and will play pivotal roles in September. In terms of creating scores from interceptions, those of Nick Blakey's turn into the most points, feeding a hungry forward line. It's a method that has produced the most efficient scoring rate per inside fifty entries in the competition.

'Most intercepts happen in the back half of the ground, but the Swans seem to get a higher percentage of them in the front half than most teams. That's the vaunted forward pressure at work. Front half intercepts are incredibly valuable in modern footy and are one of the easiest pathways to putting teams away,' Atkinson says.

That pressure-based game is the Swans' trademark and this season sees us ranked as the number one pressure side in the AFL. It's a fundamental that is built for finals football. In this week's press conference, Longmire emphasised that: 'high-quality pressure around the contest will always be what you lay your foundation with in finals footy, and that will be the same on Friday night.'

Mike Pyke can identify with that. 'The reality of finals is, you typically have less time to think and do things because the players are more urgent. It really comes back to understanding that nothing will be given.'

'Horse always told us, and I'm sure he's telling our guys now, that you get everything you deserve on the footy field. Everything needs to be earned, that's the mindset, and there's plenty of wood to chop.'

With the contest as king, our exciting young midfield continues the growth shown last year. Rowbottom, Mills, Parker, and Warner have featured prominently in returning stoppage clearance numbers to 2016 levels. The centre clearances remain a focus, but it will prove pivotal if this emerging group can tame the chaos.

'I think the evolution of the Swans midfield group is fascinating.' Atkinson says that 'the Swans middle group are living in the 1AJ - the first year after Josh Kennedy has been the dominant force.'

'The younger guys have really provided a new look in there, and the ability to transition the ball from the inside of contests to the outside seems really improved. Coaches talk about connection all the time, and it seems like the Swans are building those with the new group.'

That connection enhances our forwards' ability to impact games, all of whom are individually dangerous matchups, and the hybrid nature of Tom Papley's role complements our many marking targets.

'Sydney is a fairly middling team for taking marks inside 50 but don't need that diet of marks to be successful because, in one v one contests, they are the second most potent team up forward, winning more contests than most teams thanks to individual winners,' concludes Lawson.

'Franklin, Heeney, Hayward, and to an extent Reid are all stretching opponent matchups and winning a third of their contests, with Hayward winning roughly half of his.'

The 2022 version of the Sydney Swans presents danger across all three lines. After reaching the ignition point following the Essendon loss, we have compiled a compelling and guileful case to be considered a contender.

Past players have enjoyed various opportunities during the season to reconnect and celebrate the club's fortieth year in Sydney. For Pyke, this has meant not only catching up with old mates but the chance to witness our impressive team in action.

'I've probably never seen more of my past teammates than this year, which has been really nice,' adds Pyke. 'I've been impressed with this year's team right across the board. 

Last year felt like there was real hope for the future, and the building blocks were there. Now, it does feel like we have the tools to be really competitive.'

'The trick for the guys now is to stay healthy and stay together. As a past player who was part of a team that had some success, I really hope that the guys value the time that they're going to spend together this year, the whole finals experience, and enjoy that, want more of that, and want to do it together.'

It's time for these youngbloods to tell their own tale. While the ending is unresolved, rest assured there'll be numerous twists and turns along the way. Fortunately, they can draw upon the experience of those who've been involved in the club's incredible period of sustained success.

The secret to that success? 'It's simple,' says Pyke. 'It's the people.'