Sydney Swans coach John Longmire says his team will relish the opportunity to again test itself against a competition powerhouse in a clash with the West Coast Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

A dogged Sydney outfit has proven a fierce challenge for the then-second-placed Magpies and top-of-the-ladder Cats over the last fortnight, and arguably the toughest encounter of all against reigning premier West Coast now awaits.

Longmire says his charges have circled the SCG match against the Eagles, who trumped the Western Bulldogs by 61 points on Sunday, as another prime chance to measure themselves against a competition yardstick.

“We’ve had a good indication over the last two weeks as to the areas where we’ve fallen short. It’s now about this week and, once again, playing against one of the best teams in the competition,” Longmire said.

“The Eagles were at their best on the weekend – there’s no question about that. They had a really strong second half and they’ve worked themselves into very good form. They were winning earlier in the year and they’ve now worked themselves into even better form, so it was the Eagles at their best against the Bulldogs.”

The Eagles chalked up their highest total of the season in the game against the Dogs, with Adam Simpson’s men booting 21.7 for a return of 133 points.

Dual West Coast leading goal-kicker Jack Darling (six goals) and two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy (three) spearheaded the Eagles’ potent forward line.

Darling and Kennedy are now sitting in fifth and sixth respectively in the race for this year’s Coleman Medal, and rising forwards Liam Ryan and Jake Waterman slotted three goals each in Sunday’s match in classy performances of their own.

But Longmire insists his side’s clash with West Coast will be decided between the arcs.

“We’ll need to be able to get the battle right in the midfield to restrict their scoring ability and give ourselves a chance,” Longmire said.

“They were able to score heavily against the Bulldogs on the weekend off the back of a strong midfield performance. We will need to match their midfield, who are of absolute quality, so we don’t give their forwards the opportunity to capitalise.”

The Swans haven’t lost to the Eagles at the SCG since Round 9, 1999, meaning they’ll be on the hunt for an eighth-straight win over West Coast at the Moore Park venue.

The Eagles sat on top of the ladder ahead of a trip to the SCG in Round 13 last season – the last time the clubs met – but the third-placed Swans would grind out a 15-point win.