WITH a healthy list stacked with new faces and a desperate need for match practice, the Sydney Swans are set for their most competitive NAB Cup tilt in years.

The Swans have been first-round losers in the pre-season competition for the past seven years but coaching co-ordinator John Longmire flagged the possibility of a different tack in 2010.

“What we might be able to do this year is have a little bit of a change of focus during the pre-season and sharpen the players up a bit earlier,” Longmire said at the Swans’ first training session of the new year.

“There are some new faces and [we need] to integrate those players into our team and to make sure that everything works well.

“No doubt there will be a few cobwebs that we’ll need to sort out early days but we’re hopeful that with the amount of the training we’ve got under our belt now, we’ll be able to sort those out.”

While the club was disappointed at missing the finals for the first time since 2002, Longmire said the long lead-in to 2010 had been a blessing for the senior players.

The Swans host Carlton at Blacktown on February 20 and it seems likely that several of the club’s stars will be on display.

Should the Swans progress through to the semi-finals, they will host a second game at Blacktown on March 6 as the AFL looks to increase its presence in western Sydney.

“Over the years, players have had different build ups to their pre-season but [this year] we’ve got a player like Adam Goodes who has done all the training,” Longmire said.

“We’re hoping that a number of those players will be up and running early in the NAB Cup.

“Most of the players will be available and whether that’s Adam Goodes or a first-year player, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll be picking our best line-up for that game.”

Kristin Thornton, who had a knee cleanout prior to Christmas, is the only player unlikely to be available for the first competitive hitout.

With less than seven weeks until the clash against the Blues, Longmire said the Swans would move their training focus from fitness to tactics.

However, the coach-in-waiting said his role would remain the same in 2010 before he took over from incumbent senior coach Paul Roos at season’s end.

“It’s no different at all,” he said.

“I’ve been reasonably involved in the last few years with Roosy so nothing really changes from that point of view.

“Roosy’s still the coach and in charge of our full program and I’ll help him out as much as I can.”