SYDNEY midfielder Dan Hannebery might not have found his best form this season, but the Swans are reaping the benefits of his mentoring work alongside Oliver Florent.
The pair seem to be a good match; Florent has the wheels his more experienced teammate has always dreamed of, while Hannebery has the footy smarts to help the speedster take full advantage of his gift by getting to the right spots on the ground.
Hannebery started his career as a wingman before transitioning into an inside midfielder, and after Florent's NAB AFL Rising Star nomination this week, the 19-year-old is a chance to emulate the 200-gamer's feat of winning the gong in his second season back in 2010.
The Victorian said he's worked closely with his assigned mentor Hannebery both on and off the field.
"He's taught me a lot, we frequently go over vision of my game and his little critiques here and there will hopefully help me take my game to another level," he said.
"We're similar players in the sense that we're both hybrid midfielders.
"He's really encouraging and gives me a lot of confidence and belief, that I can go out there and match it with the best players, but if I ever do something wrong he'll definitely let me know about it.
"I've learned a lot from the senior players and learning every day is my goal, so I have to keep being sponge around them."
Florent has played all 11 games on the wing this season after managing nine games in his debut year, and hopes with more consistent game time, his role can evolve.
"I'm enjoying my role on the wing or wherever I'm needed, but in the future, I'd love to be playing more inside or a balance of both," he said.
The Swans have won their past four matches to sit fourth on the ladder, but they've been mostly ignored when it comes to premiership talk in recent weeks.
John Longmire's side has two more games before their mid-season bye, starting with a clash with St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
They then take on the ladder leader West Coast in a massive Friday night fixture at the SCG, but Florent said all their focus has been on the Saints.
"We're going to be pretty tough on ourselves to go out there and bring it to them," Florent said.
"A lot of teams who aren't playing so great come out and try and take out the Swans, so we need to really have a crack, stick to our game-plan and have a good game."