MIDFIELDER Rhyce Shaw says he has been fortunate to hold his place in the side in the past month as the Sydney Swans have struggled to produce their best form.

Shaw, who finished second in the 2009 Bob Skilton Medal, hasn't been able to replicate that form in his second season at the club.

He averaged more than 24 disposals per game as a creative half-back in 2009 but he has managed less than 12 touches a game in the past four weeks.

Coach Paul Roos said last week that some members of the senior team could count themselves lucky to earn a game against Hawthorn and Shaw said he was thoroughly aware he was close to the edge.

"I definitely felt as though I wasn't getting a kick and I was under the pump," he said before training at a wet SCG on Tuesday afternoon.

"The coaching staff, they're really good and they really give you the confidence to go out and play well each week. I probably wasn't lifting my weight in that regard.

"I couldn't get a kick for a while but it wasn't necessarily about me. It was about the side and I wasn't helping the side. We were getting beaten in some positions and I'll take full responsibility for that."

Shaw has been shifted all over the ground in recent weeks, exchanging his customary role in defence for a stint up forward and, in last weekend's win against Hawthorn, a tagging job on the dangerous Clinton Young.

When asked his preferred position, his blunt response was "in the side".

"I tried to lift my weight on the weekend. I tagged Clinton Young so that was a bit of a challenge for me, seeing I had played the last couple of games in the forward line," he said.

"I've just got to play my role, wherever that is on the ground."

Shaw's running ability is likely to come in handy when the Swans tackle Fremantle on the expanses of Subiaco Oval on Saturday afternoon.

However, he said the Swans would refrain from the temptation of tweaking their game plan against Freo, instead sticking to the basics of one-on-one footy that served them well against the Hawks.

Shaw was one of the few players with outside pace when the Swans last played at Subiaco in round two, 2009, but he has plenty of company this time around.

Lewis Jetta, Tadhg Kennelly and Dan Hannebery will add their running power to a Swans outfit keen to secure a crucial 11th win of the season and a possible finals berth.

Shaw expected a productive game from a rejuvenated Jetta in front of a rumoured 200 members of his extended family on Saturday, after he finally booted his first league goal against Hawthorn.

"He's come into our team and he's done really well. I know for a lot of people, 19 points is not the best start but he was having 19 shots on goal - you'd be pretty happy with that," he said.

"It's fantastic and hopefully he can get out there on the weekend and kick a couple as well.

"It gives him a lot of confidence and he's a real confidence player. It can only hold him in good stead."