RUNNING defender Tadhg Kennelly says the side's pressure game must return if the Swans are any chance of defeating bogey side Collingwood on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium.

Collingwood has had the wood over Paul Roos' men over the last 12 months with three wins out of three, including a crushing 38-point defeat in last year's elimination final and a 19-point victory at ANZ Stadium in round 12.

"To lose twice to the same side is something you don't like as footballers but to lose three times against Collingwood, well that's just disappointing," Kennelly said.

"They seem to match up well against us. Obviously they beat us three times last season which doesn't sit well with a lot of our players."

Kennelly pinpointed a lack of the Swans' traditional hard, contested style of footy as being their downfall in the previous clashes.

"Our pressure in the [elimination] final last year was missing quite drastically. I didn't play in that game but I remember watching it and our pressure just wasn't there and that's a big focus for us going into this weekend's game, our attacking pressure and putting them under the pump.

"In the past, we've given them too much space in the midfield and given them free run out of the middle and that's put us under a massive, massive amount of pressure."

The Irish star said Saturday's clash – in front of an expected crowd of 60,000 - would be "hot footy" against a side that has already defeated premiers Geelong and thrashed West Coast by 100 points this season.

However, two losses on the trot against Carlton and the Western Bulldogs have brought Mick Malthouse's seventh placed Pies back to earth.

"They [Collingwood] have been playing some good footy, it's just they've been a bit up and down," noted Kennelly.

"We haven't played too many top eight teams so our focus is just Saturday night, we won't be getting too far ahead of ourselves."

Four points to the Swans against the Magpies and a loss for the Adelaide Crows could really cement the Swans in the top four. Kennelly however said ladder positions were not the main focus for the team.