SYDNEY Swans defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson says the lessons learned from successive close games will hold his side in good stead when it tackles Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.
The Swans lost their fourth game in a row when they fell to Hawthorn by two points in round 10, but they rebounded with a thrilling nine-point win against Essendon at a sodden SCG a week later.
"While it was very disappointing, we took a lot out of [the round 10 loss]," he said.
"We know Hawthorn is a very, very good side and we definitely matched it with them in that game. We drew a lot of positives from it.
"It was very important for us to break the losing streak we were on. The win will hopefully generate a bit of confidence within the group and we can go on from there.''
A win against the Power would leave the Swans with a 7-5 record as they head into the split round, with a week off before facing Collingwood at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, June 26 at 7.10pm.
The Swans lost their fourth game in a row when they fell to Hawthorn by two points in round 10, but they rebounded with a thrilling nine-point win against Essendon at a sodden SCG a week later.
"While it was very disappointing, we took a lot out of [the round 10 loss]," he said.
"We know Hawthorn is a very, very good side and we definitely matched it with them in that game. We drew a lot of positives from it.
"It was very important for us to break the losing streak we were on. The win will hopefully generate a bit of confidence within the group and we can go on from there.''
A win against the Power would leave the Swans with a 7-5 record as they head into the split round, with a week off before facing Collingwood at ANZ Stadium on Saturday, June 26 at 7.10pm.
Following his side's away win against Adelaide in round two, Roberts-Thomson said the open spaces of AAMI Stadium suited the new-look Swans' penchant for taking the game on.
"I think it's the way the game's changing these days. There's a lot more running and being able to use the extra space on a bigger ground, it really helps those running players," he said.
"AAMI Stadium is a big ground and there's plenty of open spaces there. That will probably suit our game style: expansive running with Lewie Jetta and a few other players.
"In saying that, again it's a very daunting task coming up against Port Adelaide. We know it's going to be a huge challenge for us but hopefully we can take another step in the right direction."
Meanwhile, Roberts-Thomson said learning to read the play was the greatest challenge facing players from other football codes looking to change to Australian football.
The Swans defender was a fine schoolboy rugby union player before catching recruiters' eyes with an outstanding performance at the 2001 NAB AFL Under-18 Championship.
"Personally for me, it was the understanding of the game and the awareness of where the opposition are and the different angles they can come from," he said.
"While people talk about the skill transition, I think when you're a young guy growing up, you're playing a lot of different sports like basketball, cricket, tennis and the like.
"Playing any ball sport helps with Aussie rules but it was definitely that understanding of the game and developing the awareness [that was hardest]."
