IT'S SECOND against fourth with a top-four spot on the line.

The Swans have notched up five straight wins. For Collingwood, it’s 11.

The battle will be in front of a sold-out SCG to round off a week that started with one of the Swans' greatest ever players announcing his retirement.

Throw all of that into the mix and it's set to be a special Sunday in Sydney for the Swans and Magpies.

For 21-year-old James Rowbottom, it'll be game 65 and as big as any he's played in.

"I don't think we're one to shy away from it. Bar the final last year, this has got the most weight to it," the Swans midfielder said.

"But it's no good if we touch on the magnitude of the game and then don’t bring the basics over and over and our strengths."

And when it comes to bringing the intensity to a game where toughness and pressure will be at the forefront, the Swans will look to their tackling machine to set the tone.

Rowbottom sits at No.7 in the AFL this season in that statistical category with an average of 6.5 tackles a game. But it's in the big games where he's stepped it up the most, with 23 tackles across the two Sydney derbies this season.

"It's just something that I've always brought to the forefront of my game and it's what I get a game off, my pressure and intensity around the ball. So, if I don't bring that I don't bring much value to the team."

Rowbottom may be selling himself a little short there.

He's averaging 18 disposals a game and has kicked 18 goals for the season but there's no doubt his work around the contest is his footballing strength.

And that will be needed against a Collingwood side that made everyone take notice of its premiership credentials with its second-half intensity in the win over Melbourne last week.

It all started with the gang tackle on Demon Ed Langdon in the opening stages, following his "one trick pony" assessment of the Pies.

"The way Collingwood responded and his first disposal was an indication of how they felt about those comments, so I'm not sure I’ll say anything like that," Rowbottom said.

"You don’t stumble over 11 wins in a row. They're doing a lot right at the moment and riding a pretty significant wave. We've touched on some opportunities that we can exploit and go on to winning the game.

"Their second half last week against Melbourne, their pressure and intensity went to another level. The start of the game will be crucial in front of a packed house at the SCG to show them what our pressure can do."

The stakes on Sunday are high enough as it is, but there'll be an extra bit of magic in the air after Josh Kennedy announced on Tuesday that this season will be his last after 290 games.

Prior to his hamstring setbacks that have fast-tracked his retirement call, the contested-possession machine that Kennedy has been was deployed in different positions early on in the season for youngsters like Rowbottom to accelerate their development.

"This year especially, taking on wing and half-back and those roles, the selflessness he's shown for blokes like me and Chad Warner to step in has been pretty remarkable," Rowbottom said.

"I got drafted in 2018 and 'Joey' (Kennedy) had been at the peak of his powers for the best part of a decade by then. As soon as I got here, I was trying to soak up as much knowledge and information that 'Joey' could provide and still do, he's been incredible.

"To see him hang up the boots was a pretty emotional moment. He's still going to be around the club and he's a massive help on the bench and a lifeline for us young players."