In this week's Game Plan, Swans midfield coach, Leigh Tudor, talks about the impresive win over North Melbourne and how the team is preparing to tackle the tough test of facing Hawthorn in Tasmania on Sunday...

We were really pleased with our midfield efforts against North Melbourne last Sunday. As it turned out, we did really well and played the way we planned, so it was a very good result for the group.

While we did lose the contested ball count, we managed to ensure that when North did get the ball we were there to put enough pressure on them to get the ball back.

All the young guys, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker, Kieren Jack, Craig Bird and of course Joey Kennedy, really stood up and helped out our experienced players Jarrad McVeigh, Ryan O’Keefe and Jude Bolton. There is no doubt our next level of midfielders have now developed to a point where they are really dangerous and other teams are starting to have a closer look.

I also thought our ruck combination of Mark Seaby and Jesse White, in the absence of Shane Mumford and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, did a great job.

It’s now gotten to the point that securing a spot in the Swans midfield is a very competitive process, and all the players know they have to play well to hold their spot. They all want to be inside midfielders, so they know they need to win their contested ball and play their roles to ensure their place in the midfield.

It’s going to be a different game this week against the Hawks and almost opposite to the North Melbourne game. Last week was a team that handballs a lot and this week is a team that kicks a lot, so there will be a different focus for us going into this week.

It’s going to be a fantastic challenge again for our midfielders to come up against the likes of Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell, Sam Mitchell and maybe Luke Hodge if he comes back in, because they are some of the best midfielders in the competition. They are premiership players, so it is a massive challenge for us this week.

If you look at Hawthorn, they could have won all four games and they’ve played top-eight sides, so they’re in form, they’re a good side and they’ve been talked about a lot this year, so we’re really looking forward to taking them on and testing ourselves against a quality midfield.

Hawthorn’s midfield has been a quality one and a hard and tough group for a long time, so I know the guys are really looking forward to what could be our toughest challenge so far this season.

Another challenge for us is travelling to Launceston. It’s a nice big ground in Tassie, I think it’s 20 metres longer than the SCG and about four metres wider, so it’s a different ground for us, but I think we just get ready to play and try and bring our best to every game we play. This is another challenge, but it’s one we’re looking forward to.