Young Swan Harry Cunningham says Sydney is intent on “getting back on the horse” in a titanic bout with Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

The Round 19 opener shapes as an all-important contest for the Swans and Bombers, with Sydney and Essendon among a host of clubs bashing and barging to clinch a finals berth.

Sydney is placed fourth on the ladder and Essendon 11^th but just two wins split the two teams, with the Swans sitting on 44 points and the Bombers on 36. 

Adding to the hype in Sydney’s camp is its full-blooded push to respond to Saturday’s loss to the Gold Coast Suns.

Cunningham says the Swans will be up for the challenge in the battle with the Bombers.

“Within the four walls we’ve got the confidence and belief to be able to play good footy and match it with anyone,” Cunningham told the Big Sports Breakfast.

“We’ve proven that before. We weren’t able to do that on Saturday but we’re not thinking about that. We’ve got a great challenge this Friday. We’re really looking forward to showing a bit of resilience, turning that around and playing some good footy this week.”

Geelong, North Melbourne, Essendon and Adelaide all sit outside the top eight but remain a chance to feature in September.

The Crows (12^th) are ranked the lowest of the lot and could climb to as high as seventh if they notch a win over the Demons on Saturday.

While the Swans could inch to as high as third if victorious on Friday, a loss could see them tumble to as low as ninth.

A series of five monumental games awaits Sydney on the road to the finals, with matches against Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS and Hawthorn set to follow the date with Essendon.

Cunningham says the weight of the Bombers clash is not lost on the Swans.

“The competition is too tight these days to be off your guard and anyone can beat you at any time,” Cunningham said.

“You’ve got to be able to play a good brand of footy for four quarters to get the win. We’ve got five games to go before the end of the season and we’re looking forward to this weekend and getting back on the horse and playing some good footy down in Melbourne against the Bombers." 

The Swans have received a massive boost in the lead-up to the Essendon game, with exciting Kenyan-born defender Aliir Aliir signing a three-year contract extension.

The new deal has tied Aliir to Sydney until at least the end of 2021 and follows a shining run of form.

The 23-year-old has dazzled since returning from the NEAFL in Round 13, with his intercept marks, clean ball use and ability to play a number of positions bringing plenty to the side. 

Cunningham said he was thrilled to hear of Aliir’s contract news. 

“It’s great Aliir’s re-signed for another few years,” Cunningham said.

“He’s a great man to have around the footy Club and he’s obviously a very talented player. It was great for the Club to be able to announce that and it was great for Aliir as well. He’s pretty stoked so we’re pretty happy for him.”