Swans coach John Longmire said Pyke, who played two games last season for the Swans before being sidelined with a quad injury, has made significant improvements in his game over the last month.

“(Pyke’s) form has been improving every week and he played a really good game last week,” Longmire told SwansTV.

“We said at the start of the year that we needed a group of ruckmen to get through an AFL season and we’ve used a few different combinations in the ruck this year.

“That’s why we’ve been able to put Pykey in this week and hopefully he gives us a really good, strong contest against (Mark) Jamar, who is a talented ruckman for Melbourne.”

Pyke will combine with Roberts-Thomson in this weekend’s ruck combination against Melbourne’s Jamar, who is leading the competition in hit-outs this season.

Longmire said Roberts-Thomson has fully recovered from a heel injury, which kept him off the field last week.

“(Roberts-Thomson) has trained well this week and he did a bit of training last week which was touch and go, but he’s been able to do what we needed him to do this week, so he comes back into the team,” he said.

Swans midfielders Luke Parker and Daniel Hannebery have also both been cleared to play following injury concerns after last Saturday’s match against the Tigers.

Longmire said both players completed the team’s final training session with flying colours.

“Luke Parker is fine. He got through training and did everything and did a little bit more today, so he was good and Daniel Hannebery was the same and was able to train, and train really strongly,” he said.

“(Parker) was in doubt but he always finds a way, as does Hanners, who is another competitor.”

Following last week’s disappointing 29-point loss to the Tigers at the MCG, Longmire said the team is determined to get back to the tough brand of football which earned the team five consecutive wins to start the season.

“We want to play a four-quarter hard, contested brand of footy and use the ball well when we’ve got it and put pressure on the opposition when they’ve got it,” he said.

“That’s our challenge and that’s what we’ve got to try and do and come Saturday that’s what we hope to get out of the game.”

The full Sydney Swans team to face Melbourne is:

Sydney Swans v Melbourne
SCG
Saturday May 19, 2012

B M.Mattner, T.Richards, R.Shaw
HB N.Smith, H.Grundy, J.McVeigh
C L.Jetta, J.Kennedy, N.Malceski
HF R.O'Keefe, T.Walsh, D.Hannebery
F B.McGlynn, S.Reid, T.Dennis-Lane
Foll M.Pyke, K.Jack, J.Bolton
I/C C.Bird, A.Johnson, L.Parker, L.Roberts-Thomson
Emg T.Armstrong, A.Everitt, J.White

In: L.Roberts-Thomson , M.Pyke , T.Walsh
Out: M.Seaby , J.White , A.Everitt

New: T.Walsh (Ireland)