Sydney captain Josh Kennedy has underscored the importance of “consistency of effort” as the Swans look back on their 2018 campaign.

The second-year skipper is proud of the way his troops have responded to a number of challenges in recent times, but he says the Swans must “be better for longer” in 2019.

Sydney won three of its last four games of the regular season to feature in a ninth-straight finals series but lost in an elimination final against GWS at the SCG.

“There’s no doubt that over the past couple of years when we’ve been really challenged, backs against the wall, we’ve been able to respond over the course of the year,” Kennedy told SwansTV.

“That consistency of effort is something we need to continually build on. When it’s there we’re really good and when it’s not we can drop right away.

“There are a lot of positives we can take out of a lot of the games this year but it’s a very ruthless competition.”

The fact the Swans blooded five debutants in 2018 stands out as a positive.

Ben Ronke, Tom McCartin, Ryley Stoddart, Colin O’Riordan and Darcy Cameron all got their first tastes of the AFL arena.

Ronke kicked two goals on debut against Geelong at the Cattery and seven against Hawthorn in Round 8, announcing himself under Friday night lights at the MCG to earn a Rising Star nomination.

Kennedy pinpointed the victory over the Cats as the highlight of his season, a thrilling match that saw the Swans arrest a 22-point deficit at the final change to win by 17 points.

Kennedy earned a game-high nine AFL Coaches’ Association votes for a stellar captain’s performance marked with 33 possessions, 13 clearances and nine inside 50s.

The three-time Bob Skilton medallist tallied 13 touches and six clearances in the final stanza in a display coach John Longmire described as “enormous”.

Midfield coach Brett Kirk admitted Kennedy’s 2018 numbers weren’t as glittering as in years gone by, but he says the 30-year-old sets the bar high.

“Josh at his absolute best is so important to our team,” Kirk told SwansTV.

“He’s a real bull inside. He does the basics really well, he’s clean he’s hard, he’s tough, he leads from the front as captain.

“He had a consistent season but to his high, lofty standards he’s had a bit of a drop-off to what we’ve seen over the past five or six years. But we’re talking he’s set top echelons of standards.”