Sydney Swans Assistant Coach Peter Berbakov discusses the big game against the Western Bulldogs this Saturday night at the SCG, and his most memorable Roosy and Kirky moments...

Trips to Perth are always hard, but our victory against Fremantle was a good example of grinding out a win that should have secured us a spot in the finals.

Playing at Subiaco presents its own set of challenges given it is such a different ground to what we are used to, length-wise. That's something I think may have caught us out in the first half. After half-time we took the game on a bit more, ran some of the yardage we needed to and penetrated a little deeper with our attack which created more scoring opportunities from the corridor rather than out wide.

Unfortunately our win against Fremantle was soured with Ben McGlynn suffering a fractured cheekbone. He will be a big loss for us as he is a tenacious ball winner, a hard runner and can find space to kick a goal. In his first year at the Club he’s been a fantastic acquisition and has exceeded our expectations. We all hope Ben makes a speedy recovery.

This week we face another tough challenge in the form of the fourth placed Western Bulldogs on Saturday night at the SCG. The Bulldogs will be looking to regain some form and bounce back after their 101-point loss to Geelong last weekend.

The Bulldogs are a fast side, very efficient with the footy and are strong on the rebound. They’re first in the AFL for defensive score launches so as soon as you turn the footy over you need to be switched on to win that footy back, otherwise it’s sailing down to the other end for a score.

A key match-up will be who lines up on Barry Hall in his return to the SCG. Barry is such a powerful, straight line, leading player. Their ball delivery is sensational, so if you’re not right with them or covering the leading spot, that suits Barry as he’s such a great mark on the lead and can present well in space.

Saturday night will also give the fans at the SCG the chance to pay tribute to Paul Roos and Brett Kirk, two champions of the Sydney Swans.

I have lots of fond memories of Kirky, but one that stands out is the moment against Geelong in the 2005 semi-final at the SCG, when he grabbed Nick Davis and said 'you owe us one', after Davis' opponent had kicked a goal. Davis went on to kick four goals in the last quarter and the Swans went on to win that game and the premiership.

Likewise, it is hard to single out one moment for Roosy, but I think of the imagery of him standing out in the middle of the SCG giving his quarter and three quarter time addresses, with the crowd on top of him as he commands his troops. It has certainly been a successful era, but that imagery will always stick out in my mind.

The SCG is a unique stadium, the crowd feels like its on top of you. When the stands are full, the atmosphere for the players is amazing. We hope the red and white faithful are out in force on Saturday night and can give Roosy and Kirky the SCG send-off they deserve. The team will be doing its best to make it a memorable match for them.