Handling Essendon's pressure and pace looms as the key to Sydney reaching week two of the AFL finals, according to Zak Jones.
Jones didn't feature in the round-14 epic between the two clubs at the SCG, where Gary Rohan booted an after-the-siren goal to hand the Swans a one-point win.
But the 22-year-old speedster watched the Bombers' second-half blitz, when they kicked seven consecutive goals and had seemingly secured the four premiership points prior to an astonishing comeback from Sydney, from the stands.
"It was an incredible game," Jones said, adding that Saturday's elimination-final rematch could well be another classic.
"We pulled a rabbit out of the hat that night but that's what you need to do sometimes to win games.
"Their pace is definitely something we need to look at. Their small forwards are bloody quick.
"Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is a real pressure forward. We'll have to stay composed and use the ball really well when we're coming out of defence."
Ruckman Callum Sinclair, who was retained in Sydney's side ahead of Kurt Tippett this week, noted the Swans must quell the visitors' speed.
"It was a bit of a whirlwind that game. The only thing I really remember is the last five or 10 seconds," Sinclair said.
"I'm pretty sure it's going to be another thrilling contest.
"There were patches of that game where we got outplayed, we weren't playing our best and it cost us. They piled on the goals."
Sydney scored 20 points in the final 270 seconds of the regular-season clash with Essendon to conjure a victory. The Bombers were guilty of making a handful of critical errors in a frantic finish.
"We learnt a bit about what we should be doing it tight games," Bombers coach John Worsfold said on Friday.
"Not a lot extra. We know (how) they line up, we know what their strengths are. We saw our strengths come to the fore and we saw that it was a pretty close game all round."
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