IT HAS been a stressful seven weeks for Sydney Swans coach John Longmire in his first year in the top job but he is pleased the club is starting to see results for their effort.

The Swans sit with three wins, a draw and two losses after Saturday's eight-point victory over the Western Bulldogs at Manuka Oval.

Although, the club could easily have 24 premiership points to their name if they didn't let Melbourne, Geelong and Carlton over-run them in the fourth quarter.

While the Swans let the Bulldogs get to within seven points today, after holding almost a five-goal lead at three-quarter time, Longmire said he is pleased with the way his side responded to the Bulldogs' fast finish.

"The wins we've had and the draw have all been tight to the last minute of the game so it's been a bit tense at times but the good thing about it is that in those particular games we've played it out to the final siren which is really exciting," Longmire said.

"It is very much a momentum game now AFL footy and you need to make sure when they've got the momentum they don't hurt you too much and obviously when we get the momentum you need to put some scoreboard pressure on - it makes it a lot easier in the last quarter if you do."

For the first time this year Ryan O'Keefe (27 possessions and two goals), Adam Goodes (24 touches and nine tackles) as well as Jarrad McVeigh (23 disposals) were arguably the Swans' best three players.

Longmire said he was particularly pleased with the way his senior players lifted when the Bulldogs started to fight their way back into the contest.

"I thought today our experienced players played pretty well and did some important things at important times," he said.

"I thought our defence stood up pretty well for most of the game, particularly our keys, and when they [the Western Bulldogs] had their momentum swing they were able to hold it pretty well."

I thought a couple of our key players in the last quarter - Adam Goodes and Ryan O'Keefe - just took the sting out of the last few minutes of the game.

"Encouragingly, it was the Swans' youth who also helped steer the side to their first win against the Bulldogs at Manuka Oval since 2007.

Alex Johnson, in only his third senior game, was among the club's best in defence while Nathan Gordon contributed on debut with a goal among a handful of possessions.

Longmire said the Swans will continue to play their first, second and third-year players to ensure the club can remain competitive for many years to come.

"The reality is we've got to make sure we develop the next generation of key forwards for this footy club - we can't leave it all to Adam Goodes," he said.

"It's our responsibility to look after this week and keep trying to win games.

"We want to do that for our supporters and we want to keep putting the pressure on and putting our best effort in week-in, week-out.

"Getting the mix right also, in developing the next generation of players [is pivotal]." Longmire said

 Lewis Roberts-Thomson will more than likely remain in the reserves for another week to ensure his fitness and conditioning is of AFL standard.