Sydney has secured the all-important double chance after seeing off a spirited fourth-quarter fightback from St Kilda as the Saints pushed the Swans right to the wire on the way to the 13.10 (88) to 11.8 (74) result at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
The side is sweating on the fitness of star Tom Papley ahead of its blockbuster qualifying final against Melbourne, after the forward suffered a concussion.
Papley was subbed out of the contest in the second quarter on Sunday after his head hit the turf following some friendly fire with teammate Lance Franklin.
Sydney's first final will be played against Melbourne at the MCG on Friday, September 2, when Papley will be eligible to play under the AFL's concussion protocols, provided he is passed fit by the club's doctors.
Coach John Longmire said post-game that Papley was "fine" but he will still need to pass the relevant fitness tests before being cleared to face the Demons.
Despite securing a seventh-successive win, Longmire believes his side was not at its "best" on Sunday evening, as it was dealt a scare from a fast-finishing opponent.
"St Kilda were good but I thought we were a bit off in the pressure stakes and they were able to get the ball from one end of the ground to the other a bit too easy," Longmire said.
"So a little bit of improving to do, but we were probably not up to the standard we've been at for a probably six-week block.
"So probably a good thing we can get to work this week, head down and keep getting better."
Longmire, who coached the retiring Dan Hannebery for much of his career, paid tribute to the three-time All-Australian who he believes was "one of the best two-way midfielders" he's seen. In his final game, he put together a best on ground performance against the side he spent the bulk of his illustrious career plying his trade for.
"He was fantastic for us," Longmire said.
"Just his run, his hardness and his energy that he gave to our footy club off the field was enormous. He was just a good person to have around and he was popular amongst our players and that generation of players.
"He had a ripping game today - I should have tagged him. But he sent me a message during the week, a really lovely message and he's just been a popular player for us."
