A halftime spray has given perennial AFL finalists Sydney a reminder of how much room for improvement there is, even if they're sitting pretty in the top four after an ugly win over Carlton.
The Swans have finished outside the top eight only once in the past 15 seasons.
John Longmire's men, who face St Kilda away before hosting ladder ladders West Coast in a blockbuster, are on track to extend that streak.
That is not to say all is rosy at the SCG, as Longmire and the club's leaders explained at halftime of Friday night's clash with the Blues.
The Swans, who eventually eased to a 30-point victory, were trailing by a point after the opening half.
"A little bit of a spray at halftime, got the boys up and about," Isaac Heeney told AAP.
"It was led by the leadership group.
"We've got to be on our game from the start. We've got to start producing four-quarter performances if we want to beat a team like West Coast, who are flying.
"We're playing a bit of inconsistent footy at the moment and it's just getting us over the line."
Longmire, speaking in his post-match press conference, lamented how the Swans' work around the stoppages dropped off in the second quarter.
"We just weren't doing what we should have done. There wasn't enough communication, some structural things. We touched on that at halftime," Longmire said.
"The players were able to sort that out, get it organised. Which was important."
The upside for Sydney is they've built a solid platform to push for the premiership despite the patchy form, with small forward Tom Papley set to be fit to return against the Saints.
The Swans were 3-7 and 16th on the ladder at the corresponding point of the 2017 season, undertaking some soul searching during a round-11 bye.
"It's a lot better than last year. Being in the top four is a good feeling but to know we've got a lot to improve on, that's even more promising," Heeney said.
Heeney was best on ground in the Marn Grook game that launched Indigenous round, earning himself the Goodes-O'Loughlin medal.
The 22-year-old was presented with the award by former teammate Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin, who mentored him at the Swans' academy.
"Micky O took me under his wing a little bit. He was really good to me, as he is to everyone I'm sure. He's such a personal sort of bloke," Heeney said.
"I learned a few tricks off those two, so for them to present it to me was such a special feeling."
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