Can the Sydney Swans bring the same intensity, ball movement and pressure shown against Collingwood to Melbourne for Sunday’s twilight clash with Carlton?

“Absolutely,” according to the man at the centre of the Swans’ engine room, Josh Francou.

The midfield coach was impressed with what his charges produced against the Magpies, especially on the back of performances from Luke Parker, Kieren Jack and Tom Mitchell (three goals) alike.

When asked about the possibility of a repeat performance, Francou said it’ll be a question of belief not ability.

“If you look at our NAB form at times, that was probably an area we needed to improve on going into Round 1,” he said.

“Our pressure against Collingwood was outstanding, that was the difference in the end.

“Can we do it again? Absolutely we can, but ultimately it comes down to the mindset of the players, so fingers crossed they can deliver that again.”

Along with 891,000 metropolitan viewers around Australia, the coaches huddled around the TV to watch the Carlton v Richmond season opener and were impressed with what Brendan Bolton’s men produced.

Praise came thick and fast after the gallant defeat, in which the Blues were ultra-competitive against the heavily fancied Tigers. It got Francou preparing his men for a hot footy on Sunday.

“With the vision we get these days we had a look at the game in a little more detail during the week,” he said.

“We’re expecting a fierce contest. We played them in the NAB Challenge, we had a win, but having said that they’ve got a strong midfield so if you let them dictate play and win the contested ball we’ll be in for a fight all night.”

Boasting the likes of Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs and young gun Patrick Cripps, Francou will be keeping an eagle eye on the midfield battle.

Against Matthew Kreuzer and Andrew Phillips, he says, both Kurt Tippett and Callum Sinclair will be just as important for a red and white win.