SYDNEY'S dramatic form slump sees the club in danger of missing the finals for the first time under John Longmire, but the coach has urged his players to take up the challenge over the next month.
The Swans plummeted from fourth to ninth on the ladder after Friday night's disappointing loss to Essendon, with the 43-point defeat the club's fourth from their past five matches.
THE RUN HOME Don't look at the ladder, Swans
Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night is their next clash, followed by games against Melbourne, Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn. It's a brutal run for the Swans to negotiate as they attempt to win back their finals position.
Longmire said on Monday that his team has a significant decision to make, starting with the Magpies.
"We've been thrown out of the ring, so we've got a choice if we want to get back into the ring or not," he said.
"Everything is a choice in this game and we've got a choice in front of us right now.
"Regardless of who's available or not available, we have a choice as a playing group to play hard, fierce football.
"The character of our players is really good but the situation we're in is a lot different to what it was two weeks ago, and it's about getting our processes right.
"We'll let other people talk about results and they'll take care of themselves.
"There's a standard we have to meet and our strong brand of footy has to return, that’s what we have to get right."
The Swans have struggled to provide enough opportunities for their forwards over the past five games, with the team averaging just 45.6 inside 50s over that stretch and scoring just 72 points per match.
While Lance Franklin's fitness is a concern, Longmire pointed to the team's 47 tackles against Essendon as the more crucial aspect to fixing his side's scoring potency.
"We need to put enormous pressure on the opposition. This game is always best measured in terms of effort and what you do without the ball," he said.
"The offensive part of the game is built on top of that.
"If we get our pressure up on the opposition and they're not moving the ball as well as they'd like, then that’s a good start.
"If we make mistakes off the back of that, so be it, but we need that part of the game up and going."
Zak Jones' two-game suspension for his high bump on Bomber Kyle Langford is less than ideal for the Swans.
Jones apologised to teammates last year when he was banned for an off-the-ball incident involving Richmond's Dan Butler, and Longmire said he's spoken with the speedster over the weekend.
"He's still working on a few things that he's been working on for a while now," he said.
"It's obviously disappointing. We need all of our best players playing.
"The leaders talk to him but that’s an ongoing conversation that we have with all of our players, not just Zak."
Longmire said veterans Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack could add some much-needed experience to the team for this week, after both were injured in the Swans' loss to Geelong at the SCG in round 16.
McVeigh was back on the track just days after having surgery to put a plate on his broken collarbone, while Jack just fell short of proving his fitness for the Bombers' clash at last Thursday's closed session.
