As the Sydney Swans return to the MCG for only the second time this season, head coach Dean Cox has expressed his excitement at getting another opportunity to play in front of the club’s Victorian fans.

The Swans’ proud history in Melbourne extends back to the club’s origins as the South Melbourne Swans.

The South Melbourne Swans were established in June of 1874, enjoying 108 years in Victoria before relocating to Sydney in 1982.

Despite the relocation, the Swans have maintained a loyal and dedicated fanbase in South Melbourne, with this weekend’s clash against the Essendon Bombers a prime opportunity to return to those fans.

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The Swans enter their fixture with Essendon sitting in second place, with a win all that is required to lock up a top two finish and two home finals at the SCG.

The Red and White’s last match at the MCG was against Hawthorn in Round 2, discussing how exciting it is to get another opportunity to once again play in front of the club’s South Melbourne faithful.

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"I love this time of year" - Cox

Hear from Swans senior coach Dean Cox ahead of our clash with Essendon at the MCG.

“We just love going down there,” Cox told the media on Thursday.

“I think the best part about it is we get to play (on) the MCG.

“Last time we played there was Hawthorn at the start of the year, and then the opportunity to play in front of our South Melbourne fans (is one we’re excited for).

“With the fixture, we haven't been down to Melbourne as many times as we have previous years, so the opportunity to get to play in front of them (is great) and they'll show their support by coming to the MCG on Sunday and we can't wait for that.”

Despite the rarity of playing at the MCG, Cox does not plan to use the match as a test for any later season matches held there, instead insisting their focus was firmly on the contest with Essendon, who sit at the bottom of the AFL ladder.

“We sort of want to build a game plan that can stand up at any ground, it's not just specific to the SCG,” Cox said.

“There's (a) little bit of different dimensions, but you know, this is quite a wide ground… compared to GMHBA or the like so we understand we don't get to play there that often.

“That's not our choice. We'd love to play there more but we've got to make the most of this weekend.

“Certainly, our focus is solely on Essendon and what they can do.”

The Swans take on Essendon at 4:40pm on Sunday August 16.