MOST AFL footballers that wake up on match day to the sight of pouring rain would know they're in for a tough day.

But veteran Swans midfielder Jude Bolton must surely rub his hands together with glee.

Renowned as an outstanding wet-weather player, Bolton only boosted his reputation with a record-setting performance in the club's 92-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

At the age of 32 and with 289 games under his belt, Bolton registered a career-high 41 possessions, adding two goals and seven clearances.

And he smashed his personal best by some milestone, easily surpassing the 36 touches he had against Essendon two years ago.

"I woke up this morning and said to a few of the boys 'I wonder if Jude wakes up on these days and says, 'c'mon, it's wet'," Swans forward Sam Reid said after the match.

"For us bigger guys, we curse the rain, but he's special in the rain and it was no different tonight.

"He seems to be getting better. Every pre-season he's at the front of the group and he works so hard and he's a great leader.

"When you're getting older there's still no limits on how well you can play."

Bolton was in rare form from the opening bounce, tallying 14 disposals, three inside 50s and a goal as the Swans romped to a 47-point lead at the first break.

"I thought his first quarter was fantastic," coach John Longmire said.

"It's no coincidence he's played so many games and when we wanted him to stand up, he stood up and really set the tone in that midfield battle.

"He's done that a number of times over his career and he's still doing it now."

A player motivated only by team results, Bolton was typically understated when asked about his performance and if he prefers playing in the wet.

"Not necessarily," Bolton said. "I grew up in Ballarat and it's pretty wet down there.

"In the wet you just try to get after it and we just wanted to play trademark footy for all the guys.

"I just try to keep it pretty simple. It's just about getting back to basic footy for me, it's not about possessions or anything like that.

"It's just about the contest and the hit and trying to give the boys a bit of drive out of the middle and sometimes going forward.

"When I'm in there I've got to do a role."

James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD