FEW people will give the Sydney Swans any chance of causing a huge upset when they travel to Skilled Stadium this Saturday to take on Geelong.
The Cats are on a 29-game winning streak at the ground dating back to 2007, have won their past two home games by a combined 336 points and haven't lost to the Swans at the venue since 1999.
But don't try telling Swans midfielder Ryan O'Keefe they have no chance of becoming the first team to win in Geelong since Port Adelaide on August 26, 2007.
The Swans struggled with their goal kicking again yesterday against St Kilda, but they impressed in every other area in a 15-point win and O'Keefe feels they got back to the hardness and contested football they thrive on.
And he had a quick response when asked if they give themselves a chance of upsetting the Cats.
"Of course we do," he said. "We've always said if we can play the way we want to play, we can beat anyone.
"But obviously we are coming up against the benchmark of the AFL over the last couple of years.
"We're going to have to play our best and we're going to have to convert the goals this time.
"You can't give a side like Geelong opportunities like (we did against St Kilda) and I think from their kick-outs they're pretty dangerous.
"If we give them 23 chances to move the ball down the other end, I'm sure they'll kick 23 goals."
Apart from the number of behinds in the final score, which read 10.23 (83) to 10.8 (65), the Swans again underlined their potential against St Kilda.
They have impressed at times in 2011, notably in a 13-point win over West Coast in Perth and a six-point loss to Collingwood, the closest any team has got to the premiers during their current 13-game winning streak.
But they have also had some costly results, including losses to Richmond and Adelaide and an opening-round draw with Melbourne.
O'Keefe acknowledges his side could be far better placed than seventh.
"They're just disappointing games … besides the result, just the way we went about it," he said of their upset defeats this year.
"Those games you can look back during the season and say 'If only', it can cost you finals or home finals, top four, there's a lot of what ifs during the season.
"But you can't worry about that stuff now. "
Goalkicking continues to be the Swans' biggest issue, registering 10 straight behinds at one stage against St Kilda.
But O'Keefe says they're doing their best not to think about it.
"The game is so frantic at the moment, you're just involved in the next play and the next play," he said.
"When you've done a lot of hard work and at quarter-time you look at the scoreboard and you've kicked so many behinds and you haven't put a team away … it can be a little frustrating.
"But you have to just keep going. There's no time to think about it.
"You just have to capitalise when you can."
GEELONG v SYDNEY SWANS
Skilled Stadium, Saturday, August 27. 2.10pm
Last time they met:
Round 4, 2011: Geelong 11.15 (81) d Sydney Swans 7.12 (54), SCG
Recent history at Skilled Stadium:
Rd 7, 2010: Geelong 19.12 (126) d Sydney Swans 9.5 (59)
Rd 7, 2009: Geelong 17.14 (116) d Sydney Swans 10.5 (65)
Rd 5, 2008: Geelong 16.18 (114) d Sydney Swans 10.12 (72)
Rd 13, 2007: Geelong 13.9 (87) d Sydney Swans 10.9 (69)
Rd 20, 2006: Geelong 14.6 (90) d Sydney Swans 9.9 (63)
Rd 16, 2004: Geelong 11.11 (77) d Sydney Swans 9.8 (62)
Rd 22, 2000: Geelong 18.16 (124) d Sydney Swans 18.12 (120)
Rd 8, 1999: Sydney Swans 21.15 (141) d Geelong 14.16 (100)
