GEELONG'S first-quarter blitz of Collingwood will be fresh in John Longmire's mind as he prepares his Sydney Swans to face the Cats at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Swans' coaching staff was in attendance at the MCG last Friday night as the Cats booted the first seven goals en route to demolishing the in-form Magpies by 41 points.

"That first half was the Cats at their best. They moved the ball extremely quickly, they were very skilful and were able to hit the scoreboard," Longmire said on Monday.

"They've got some running players in their team and they're able to use the ball really well.

"We know Geelong at their best [and] what they're capable of doing." 

The Cats have managed to stay finals contenders for almost a decade, a feat praised by Longmire, whose own club achieved a similar feat through smart recruiting and list management. 

"They've got some good young kids coming through, they've been able to develop at the same time as being competitive," Longmire said.

"That’s always a challenge for the teams that have been around the top of the ladder for the last few years.

"Getting that balance is not easy but Geelong are able to do it year after year."

Longmire also laughed off any suggestions that Geelong's premiership window has closed, or that the once dominant Cats are in decline.

"Geelong Football Club are a fantastic footy club, it's been proven time and time again. I don't think that need to prove it to anybody," Longmire said.

"They know themselves that they're a quality footy club."

Young Swans' star Isaac Heeney is set to miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury, and while disappointed to lose the teenager, Longmire says the club is thankful the injury wasn't more serious.

"That’s what footy is, you've got to roll with those challenges that come up every now and then and he's been presented with one," Longmire said.

"He's resilient enough and has enough support at the footy club to be able to deal with that, and it's not the end of the world, it’s a month-long injury."

Dan Hannebery (ankle) will be fit to face the Cats while Jake Lloyd is still a chance to recover from a bruised, swollen ankle for Saturday night's game.