PLAYING on the competition's most dangerous small forwards week in, week out has given Sydney Swan Nick Smith plenty of sleepless nights and his 150th appearance will be no different.

Smith will play his milestone game against arch rivals Hawthorn at the MCG in a crucial Friday night clash for both sides.

The 27-year-old traditionally guards his former Scotch College schoolmate Cyril Rioli when the two sides meet, but with Paul Puopolo and Luke Bruest taken into account, Hawthorn possesses three of the most dangerous goalkickers in the game.

So take your pick of that trio and the result is the same – the reliable Swan is in for a tough night.

He admitted on Wednesday that his role was mentally draining.

"There's a fair bit of stress playing on those guys," he laughed.

"But the good thing is we do have a team structure where we do help each other.

"The mids and the backs really support you, so it's not like it's one-on-one the whole time, you get a lot of help."

Smith was overlooked on national draft day but eventually got his chance – like many of his current and former teammates – through the rookie system in 2007.

The reliable defender played just two games, almost three months apart, in his debut season, but played 11 in the second half of 2009, and from then on has been a lock in the Swans defence, playing 21-plus games in each of the last five years.

Now a premiership player and All Australian, Smith said life membership at the Swans seemed a long way off when his career started.

"I remember the first couple of years I didn't get much footy, and my first game down at Geelong we got beaten by about 10 goals, so it was a pretty introduction to the AFL," he said.

"The coaches helped me a lot, and the older guys like Brett Kirk, Craig Bolton, Micky O'Loughlin and Tadhg Kennelly … I had so many good people as a young kid who showed me the way.

"It's a great footy club and I'm enormously proud to get 150 games here.

"There's so many good people who have come before me and I feel really lucky and really honoured."

The Swans should be boosted by the return of two of their most important midfielders, both former Hawks, on Friday night, with Josh Kennedy (hamstring) and Ben McGlynn (corked thigh) training at the SCG on Wednesday.

McGlynn is a certainty play, while Kennedy will need to get through the session and pull up well before he's picked, but the dual club champion is a long shot to miss his second game in a row.

Athletic forward Sam Reid (hamstring) continues to train strongly and would have made his return through the NEAFL this week, but the Swans' reserves have the bye.