In the wake of his side’s thrilling five-point win over North Melbourne in Hobart on Saturday night, Sydney Swans coach John Longmire was eager to talk up the superb effort of his inexperienced and veteran campaigners alike.

Describing it as “one of the really good wins I can remember”, Longmire was quick to point out the fact his side consisted of 18 players with fewer than 100 games under the belt, but singled out the likes of onballer Luke Parker and defensive leader Dane Rampe for their terrific performances on the night.

Rampe, coming off a week packed with scrutiny following a couple of well-publicised misdemeanours in last weekend’s win over Essendon, was outstanding in restricting North Melbourne’s Ben Brown to just one goal, and marshalled the defence brilliantly as the Kangaroos surged back into contention late in the game.

“Ben (Brown) is a fantastic player, so to be able to play that way, I was never in any doubt about how he (Rampe) would play,” Longmire said.

“He’s been playing like that all year, he’s been sensational for us. He just competes at every contest and he’s been like that since Round 1.

“He’s still doing it and he’s doing it against talls and smalls. He’s just a great, really, really good competitor.”

Rampe finished with 11 rebound 50s to lead the way for the Swans, but the relatively inexperienced Jake Lloyd (10 rebound 50s) and Jordan Dawson, whose defensive marks were vital in the final term, were also tremendous down back for Sydney.

“It was just a good effort by those blokes that had the experience and also the younger boys coming through,” Longmire said.

“They were able to withstand a really hot game at a ground where the opposition had a lot of experienced 100-game players, and a good record.”

With a Friday night clash with in-form Collingwood on the horizon, the going isn’t likely to get any easier for the Swans, but in clawing their way to tight wins over the last two weeks there are certainly positive signs for the new breed in Sydney.

“If they play with that sort of spirit it’ll take them a long way,” Longmire said.

“They’ll be learning on the job and if you’ve got blokes like ‘Ramps’ and ‘Parks’ and those experienced players leading the way, they’ll play the right way which is what it’s about.”

Whether Josh Kennedy returns to the fray after being a late withdrawal in Hobart due to a quad complaint remains to be seen, with Longmire suggesting further work would need to be done during the week to assess the veteran midfielder’s fitness.