Sydney captain Josh Kennedy says the Swans' core group, including himself, must go to another level, after successive losses at the start of the AFL season.
The Swans are 0-2 for the first time since 2014, after losing by 28 points at home to Port Adelaide last week and by 23 to defending premiers Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Friday night, in their 2016 grand final rematch.
Sydney lost the contested possession category by double-digit margins in both fixtures and conceded 110 points in each match, almost 44 points per game more than the league low they averaged last season.
The Swans' normally reliable midfield brigade has drifted in and out of games, with 2016 All-Australians Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dan Hannebery, all down on possession numbers this year and not having their usual impact.
Hannebery in particular has struggled, averaging around a dozen less touches than he has in the past two years and not always using the ball well.
Kennedy said the Swans were a bit off their best and needed to build their season by lifting for next Friday's visit to the SCG of Collingwood, who are also winless in 2017.
"I think the core group of our players can go another level, me included," Kennedy said in Melbourne on Saturday.
'We'll look to do that and hopefully get back on the winning list."
The hard as nails midfielder said one positive to come out of Friday's loss was the efforts of the Swans three debutants, Will Hayward, Robbie Fox and Nic Newman.
"All our first gamers that put on the jumper really stood up," Kennedy said.
"That was a tough game, really intense pressure.
"The crowd was up and about, so to see them stand up in that heat is certainly a positive."
Kennedy hoped to see ruckman Kurt Tippett back "sooner rather than later" after the big man left the game early with an ankle injury; but in some good news he was cleared of a break.
Tippett joins an a already long injury list that includes Isaac Heeney, Dane Rampe, Jarrad McVeigh, Gary Rohan, Tom Papley and Dan Robinson.
"I prefer to have the injuries now than later in the year," Kennedy said.
"But we've got to start winning to give ourselves the best opportunity for those guys to come back and have an impact."
Kennedy was diplomatic about the umpire crackdown on holding the ball and the contentious deliberate rushed behind call on Swans teenager Callum Mills against the Bulldogs.
He says the umpires occasionally got it wrong but were right most times and things evened out over the course of the season.
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