SYDNEY Swans coach John Longmire is thrilled with how his side is playing as it prepares to take on St Kilda in next week's elimination final.

A month ago, the Swans' place in the finals was in jeopardy following a dreadful performance against Richmond, but that match proved the catalyst for the team to rediscover its mojo.

Getting back to their trademark tough, contested style of football, the Swans knocked off St Kilda at home before a stunning victory at Geelong.

A 52-point win over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday capped off their regular season and they will take plenty of confidence into their cut-throat clash with the Saints.

"I certainly hope so," Longmire said when asked if the Swans were in their best form of the season.

"We played St Kilda, who had won six out of seven before we played them, obviously Geelong last week and Brisbane here.

"I'm hoping the players feel confident that when we bring our trademark style of footy and we play hard, contested, football, we can compete with some of the better teams in the competition.

"I think we started getting a bit of confidence after playing St Kilda.

"We got back to the basics of our game."

Opposition coach Michael Voss believes the Swans' style is tailor-made for September.

"That style of footy, [is] finals footy," he said.

"When they are up and going they are tough to beat. In the first week of the finals if you got them, you don't write it down that's for sure.

"They are a very disciplined footy team and they have got that intensity that's required in finals.

"I think at least to a preliminary final, they have certainly got that capability to be able to do it.

"I don't think they will get there [a Grand Final], but certainly a prelim final would be on the horizon for them I would have thought."

The Swans' 18.11 (119) to 9.13 (67) victory was all the more impressive given key position players Sam Reid (calf) and Heath Grundy (virus) were late withdrawals.

Both are expected to be fine to face St Kilda, meaning Longmire will have to tinker with his team when he leads his side into the finals for the first time as a head coach.

Nick Malceski and Lewis Jetta replaced Reid and Grundy on Saturday, while Lewis Roberts-Thomson returned from a calf injury in the reserves and will also come into calculations next week.

"It's a good problem to have," Longmire said.

"We need to sit down and work through that next week.

"We'll look at what the opposition line-up looks like and make some decisions.

"Obviously missing your centre half-forward and centre half-back and still having a good win was pleasing against a team that last week was really competitive against a top-four team in West Coast.

"I thought the boys that played tonight all contributed well."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs