The Sydney Swans are searching for five consecutive victories for the first time this season when they face Essendon at the Gabba on Saturday, July 31 in Round 20.

They will come up against an Essendon side, who their past four matches between the two sides have been decided by an average of one goal, with two wins each.

The final margin was only three points when the teams met in round four this year in what was the Swans' fourth consecutive win.

The Swans have matched that hot streak in recent weeks, including in their past two matches against teams that beat them earlier in the season.

Returning to the side this week, defender Harry Cunningham and the other members of the Swans' leadership group are making sure their younger teammates aren't looking too far over the horizon, focusing in this week’s challenge against the Bombers.

"We've still got a little bit to prove. You still want to be playing good footy week in, week out, and that's what the great teams do," Cunningham said.

"The good thing about our young guys is they believe in what they can do but they're really committed and determined to improve every week.

"We do have those experienced heads to find the balance between on and off-field, especially when you're away from home a little bit."

Cunningham and midfielder Callum Mills are the two changes to come straight back into the Swans' line up after completing a period of isolation following their exposure to a Tier 2 site in Melbourne. Callum Sinclair and Colin O’Riordan were also exposed to the COVID-19 hotspot.

The four players moved to a house near the Swans' base on the Gold Coast for part of their isolation period to ensure they had enough space to train and were able to maintain enough of their conditioning.

“With the equipment we had in isolation we were able to keep on top of everything like our strength program and keep the legs ticking over," Cunningham said.

"In the first couple of minutes back at training I could feel my lungs but apart from that it was just good to get back in the groove."

Swans forward Lance Franklin was cleared to play earlier this week, avoiding a suspension for a striking charge against Fremantle’s Luke Ryan.

The superstar forward is now available to take on Essendon on Saturday, the team he has traumatised more than any other with 73 of his 983 career goals kicked against the Bombers.

Cunningham backs Franklin and his teammates to keep playing in an imposing manner and he says the Swans' coaches haven't spoken to their players this week about reining in their physical approach to the game.

"It's great to have Lance out there, he's a big presence and a big game player. We love the way Lance plays, his resume speaks for itself," Cunningham said.

"Lance has played enough footy over his time to know what he needs to do to be out on the park every week and what he needs to do to play well.

"He's played well for a long period of time and hopefully he can continue that for us."