Currently in eighth position on the AFL ladder, a win against the Hawks is all important as the battle for places in the 2010 finals series intensifies.
“The next few games are crucial in terms of us making the finals, so every game from now is like a finals game,” Kennedy said.
Despite consecutive losses, the Swans remain in the eight as teams around them such as Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Carlton also struggle for consistency.
“It’s been such an up and down season for us and throughout the league, you never know what’s going to happen and its left the door open for us.
“So the ball is still in our court as to what we want to do with the last few games of the year and if we want to have a crack at the finals,” he said.
While the Hawks will be without forward Cyril Rioli due to suspension, Kennedy believes defensive pressure will be a key focus for both sides.
“If you look at all the good teams this year, Collingwood, St Kilda, Geelong, they all pride themselves on their forwards and their defensive pressure, and being able to keep the ball in their half of the ground.
“We’ll be trying to emulate that tomorrow and our forwards will be working as hard as possible to keep the ball down there,” he said.
Despite the unflattering margin, the Swans will take some positives from last week’s loss to Geelong, with improved effort and intensity around the contested ball.
