Hannebery, who was named All-Australian for the first time in 2013, struggled to make an impact early in the season and averaged just 18 disposals per match over the first four rounds, well down on his impressive average of 25.3 touches the last year.
But the 23-year-old’s form has turned around in the last fortnight, following a 29 possession and 10 tackle performance against Fremantle, and a game-high 34 touches and 13 clearances against Melbourne at the MCG.
Speaking to SwansTV about his recent performances, Hannebery said after his slow first month of football, he knew he simply had to work harder.
“It’s disappointing that my form in that first month was a bit off,” he said.
“I could put it down to a few things really, but I probably wasn’t working hard enough.
“Once I lifted my work rate a little bit over the last couple of weeks, it’s probably been the major difference for me.
“If you work hard, you give yourself the best chance to play well.”
Following the Swans’ 1-3 start to the season, Hannebery said his fellow midfielders were also determined to lift all aspects of their game to set the team back on track.
Hannebery highlighted the team’s performance against the Dockers in round five, which saw the Swans lay over 100 tackles for the match, as an example of the effort required to win games this season.
“A lot of the midfielders were probably down in that first month of the year, which was disappointing,” Hannebery said.
“We pride ourselves on having a strong midfield and working hard together.
“We were letting the team down as a midfield group and we weren’t working hard enough and I think not just myself, but Kieren Jack, Benny McGlynn and Macca (Jarrad McVeigh) have also lifted their level of performance a little bit over the last couple of weeks, particularly against Freo.
“I think as a midfield group we just need to keep working together and working hard because we know if we do that, we don’t leave results to chance.”
The Swans will travel north to Brisbane this weekend for the round seven clash with the Lions at the Gabba, with a chance to have a positive win-loss ratio for the first time in 2014.
Hannebery said the Swans were expecting a tough match against Brisbane, who would be full of confidence following their first win of the season over St Kilda in Wellington on ANZAC Day.
“We know the Lions have got their tails up after a good win over in New Zealand,” he said.
“They are starting to gel together as a group and they’ve had a difficult start and now they’ve come off a strong win against St Kilda who were in great form, so they’re certainly going to have their confidence up.
“They’ve got a strong midfield and have a strong team, so we’re under no illusions and it’s going to be a really tough test, especially up at their home ground at the Gabba.
“It’s a good challenge for us again and we need to make sure that we’re really switched on and come out firing.”
