Sydney is coming.
The Swans slipped into the top eight for the first time this AFL season with an astonishing one-point win over Essendon on Friday night.
John Longmire's men have now banked six wins in seven rounds. Essendon coach John Worsfold believes they are the form team of the competition.
Sydney somehow managed to score 20 points in the final 270 seconds of the SCG thriller, breaking the Bombers' hearts and claiming their place in the top eight.
A finals berth is now very much on the Swans' agenda. That alone would be a record-breaking feat; no side in VFL/AFL history has ever rallied from a 0-5 start and reached the finals, let alone a 0-6 start.
But the prospect of last year's grand finalists doing some serious damage in September is also on the cards.
"They've probably been the best team over the last six or seven weeks," Worsfold said.
"It wasn't a top-of-the-table clash but it sort of felt like that. It was a big build-up, both teams in pretty good form and it played out like that.
"We're confident our form is up there with the team that is in the best form of the competition."
Longmire was far from content with Sydney's current form, pointing to lapses against Essendon and Richmond in their past two starts.
"Seven weeks now we've played some pretty good footy but we've certainly showed at times that we've dropped away from that," Longmire said
"We did some things really well tonight, patches of serious pressure."
The Swans' form is hard to reconcile with the season-opening slump that prompted Longmire to admit his side weren't close to "anything near the standard" required.
There have been several factors in the turnaround but Worsfold pointed to the return of a bevy of key players.
"They had a slow start but we all know when you're playing so many kids, things change," he said.
"It's a different line-up. They're getting those players back now and they're a very good squad."
There is still plenty of talent waiting in the wings at the SCG.
Out-of-form ruckman Kurt Tippett wasn't considered for the game against Essendon because of an ankle injury and is unlikely to be recalled before playing at least one game in the reserves.
Zak Jones will return from a one-game suspension on Friday night, when the Swans face Melbourne at the MCG.
Former co-captain Jarrad McVeigh could also be back, having returned from a hamstring injury in a rare appearance for the Swans' seconds.
"He got through the allotted time that he was supposed to play and I think he's pulled up okay. He certainly looked okay after the game," Longmire said.
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