THE SYDNEY Swans are ready and willing to banter with human wrecking ball Shane Mumford in Saturday's derby against fast-improving Greater Western Sydney.

Ruckman Mumford's powerful physical presence sets the tone for GWS, the club he joined in late 2013 after four seasons with the Swans, having begun his career at Geelong.

Mumford left his mark on another former teammate last weekend, ending the afternoon of Cats midfielder Mitch Duncan in a bone-jarring clash midway through the Giants' upset 13-point victory in Canberra.

"I think everyone tries to steer clear of him, but no doubt the boys will probably try to rev him up a little bit as well," Swans' defender Nick Smith said of Mumford on Thursday.

"He played here for a long time and (we're) good mates with him – but come the weekend it's fair game."

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The duel between the Swans' ruck duo of Kurt Tippett and ex-Eagle Callum Sinclair and the Giants' tandem of Mumford and Rory Lobb looms as a key factor in the ninth harbour city derby.

"'Mummy' has been playing some good footy and it's really good to have 'Tippo' and 'Sincers' over from West Coast forming a really good combination," Smith said.

"There's no doubt there's a big reliance on that duel going well for us, but it's also up to the mids and it's a whole team performance as well."