A trip to Adelaide this week to face the 14th-placed Crows doesn't carry quite the same lustre outside of the club, but to the Swans it's just as important to their hopes of a successful season.
A disappointing effort in the loss to the Blues was followed by an admirable one-goal defeat to Collingwood, but the consecutive losses have left the Swans a little more vulnerable in the top eight.
Sitting just two points ahead of seventh-placed Fremantle and four points in front of Melbourne, the Swans know the importance of bringing their best against the unpredictable Crows.
"To be honest our preparation doesn't change," Swans tagger Nick Smith said ahead of training on Tuesday.
"We know we have to play well and what we did against Collingwood means nothing if we can't reproduce that same effort on the weekend.
"Adelaide at their best, especially at home, are a really good side.
"We're going to have to bring the same kind of intensity and improve our skill level if we're going to beat them this week."
While the Swans weren't able to get over the line against the reigning premiers last week, they did produce the sort of intensity and pressure they have been seeking all season.
They believe if they can keep up that level and improve on their skills and decision-making, they can make an impact at the business end of the year.
"We set a standard on the weekend that we want to bring every week," Smith said.
"If we can bring that, that will give us a chance I think.
"Our skill level let us down a bit on the weekend.
"I think we matched it with them for a long time, but our skill level still needs to improve if we're going to beat the top sides."
The Swans have had some struggles at home so far this season, winning just three of their seven matches in Sydney.
But they have excelled on the road, beating West Coast, North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions away and drawing with Melbourne at the MCG in round one.
Their sole away loss was to Carlton a fortnight ago and while the Swans aren't sure of the reasons behind their solid road form, they hope it continues against the Crows on Saturday night.
"It's been a bit funny like that, we've struggled to win at home a bit and been winning our away games," Smith said.
"I don't think there's any one reason behind that, it's just happened that way."
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs.
