The Swans remain in the eight despite successive losses to Melbourne and Geelong, but they face a tough run to September with clashes against Hawthorn (SCG), Fremantle (Subiaco), the Western Bulldogs (SCG) and the Brisbane Lions (Gabba).
With nine wins to date, the Swans would need to win at least two and possibly three of those games to be certain of a finals berth.
However Roos said he was more concerned about the continued development of his squad than signing off as senior coach with a stirring run to the finals.
“Everyone talks about September but the goal is to win the premiership. There’s no point in finishing eighth if you’re not moving forward as a footy club,” he said on Monday.
“If you’re eighth, you’ll get beaten first week of the finals most likely anyway. It’s good experience if you’re doing it with a young team and guys learning, then obviously it’s a step forward.
With several key players injured, the Swans will have ample opportunity to expose their less experienced players to the heat of late-season action.
Lewis Jetta, Jesse White, Josh Kennedy, Shane Mumford and Brett Meredith look set to play against Hawthorn while Gary Rohan returned from an ankle injury in the reserves and will be considered for a recall.
“Before we worry too much about finals, we’ve got to play a lot better and we’ve got some tough games,” Roos said.
“We had Geelong on the weekend, Hawthorn coming up. It’s good to finish off the year like that because it gives the players … and the club a really good idea of how far away we are from getting that next premiership.
“We know that some players can improve significantly and as long as you’re playing those guys and giving them an opportunity then clearly, even if you only play one final, it’s still beneficial.”
If the Swans are to have any chance of overcoming the Hawks on Saturday, they will need to quell the output of key forwards Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.
But with defenders Craig Bolton and Lewis Roberts-Thomson set to miss again, the Swans’ backline stocks appear thin.
Small defender Nick Smith will also miss the clash against the Hawks and the ease with which Geelong stars Gary Ablett and Steve Johnson scored in round 18 is some cause for concern.
Rather than worry about personnel, Roos said he was more concerned with eradicating skill errors coming out of defence against Hawthorn.
“If you turn the ball over, it doesn’t matter what their forward line looks like, they’re going to be easy goals.
“It’s probably less about the defence and more about the transition. If you turn it over against the bottom team, they’re going to kick goals against you.”
Meanwhile, key forward Daniel Bradshaw has resumed running as he recovers from hamstring and knee injuries but Roos said he remained at least another week away, if not two.
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