SYDNEY co-Captain Kieran Jack says Friday night’s blockbuster against Hawthorn is the ultimate test for his team in how much they’ve improved since the start of the season.
The Swans lost three of their opening four games, which sparked innuendo and criticism of how they’ve handled the inclusion of Lance Franklin and brought into question the work-rate of its blue-chip midfield.
A stirring victory over Fremantle in Round 5 at the SCG, however, got their season back on track and since then, the Swans have taken their winning streak to three with victories over Melbourne and Brisbane rounding out their lead-in to the clash against the Hawks.
With Sam Mitchell (hamstring) and Brian Lake (calf) already two confirmed outs at the Hawks, Jack wasn’t being drawn on it being an ideal time for the Swans to face last year’s premiers.
So far this season, Hawthorn has covered well for their missing stars and already beaten contenders in-form team Essendon in Round 2 and Fremantle in Round 3 with a number of senior players, including Mitchell and Lake missing.
“I think they’ve got incredible belief in their structures and their processes and what they do,” Jack told reporters.
“When they get an injury or two, a young kid comes in and then fills it, which is a sign of a really strong team.
“There’s talk that (Sam) Mitchell and (Brian) Lake are out, but two more come in and probably fill the role for them, but we look forward to it.”
The Swans are coming off a clinical 79-point demolition of Brisbane but Jack says Friday night’s meeting with the Hawks will tell them more about their start to the season.
“We’re pretty confident in our form and we’ve got back to some things that we reaffirmed that we’re good at, and now is the ultimate test to where we’re currently at in terms of where the competition sits,” he said of facing Hawthorn.
“We’ve improved and I think we’ve built from the North Melbourne loss, which is what we needed to do.
“The weekend was pleasing and we had a bit of a comfortable win in the end, but now it’s the test.”
