Swans fortify for 'big battle' with Dockers midfield

After watching their engine room make light work of Gold Coast last round, Sydney coach Longmire is expecting trouble in the midfield when the Dockers come to town on Saturday.

Put on notice for caring more about individual stats than a team performance, Hayden Young (three goals), Caleb Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and ruck Sean Darcy brought the heat and the goals to lift Fremantle to a 20-point victory against the Suns.

Longmire believes the fifth-placed Dockers will be formidable foes for the league leaders' midfield unit of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Errol Gulden, James Rowbottom and ruck Brodie Grundy.

"Their pressure was enormous around the ball," Longmire said on Tuesday.

"Their coach put it on the agenda for them and they responded in great fashion, so we see that as a big battle, to be able to match what Fremantle are able to deliver.

"They've got quality midfielders, real quality midfielders.

"They've got two big guys in the ruck (Darcy, Luke Jackson) who give them first look no matter who's on board at what particular time of the game, so that's a big ask.

"We're mindful of their strengths, so we're doing some work on them now, understanding it's going to be a real big contest."

With nine rounds left of the regular season, the Swans are staying clear of early premiership declarations, despite the growing hype.

Asked what keeps him up at night as they charge towards finals, Longmire looks at his watch: "Oh, we haven't got enough time.

"It's amazing what goes through a coach's mind. You think about everything and it doesn't stop.

"We seriously wouldn't have enough time to go through what you think about, but what we've been pleased with is the attitude of our players wanting to get better, and how they're working for and with each other on game day.

"It's not easy, but we're striving to continue to do that every week."

Australian Associated Press