Speaking to the media at the SCG on Thursday morning, Longmire said Friday’s final against the Kangaroos, who have won their last six matches, posed a huge threat to the club’s Grand Final aspirations, and could not be taken lightly.
“It’s never a fact of going through the motions and it’s never a fact of undermining the importance of the game,” Longmire told reporters.
“We know it’s a big game and we know that we’ve trained to get in this situation to give ourselves the best possible chance.
“We also know that we go in against a team that has won six in a row and are in ripping form and have a good team available as well.
“It’s not going to be easy and we know the challenges ahead of us, but that’s what you train for, to present yourself in a preliminary final.
“We’ve been able to do that and we get that opportunity tomorrow night and we look forward to it.”
Longmire said the Swans, who hosted a home preliminary final in 2012, have undertaken a similar program in the lead up to this Friday night’s match to what the team did two seasons ago, including a good hit-out last weekend.
The coach said he felt his team were fit and well-prepared for this week’s encounter, including Nick Malceski who sustained a minor hamstring injury in the qualifying final a fortnight ago.
“(Malceski’s) done everything that’s required this week and ran really hard on Monday,” Longmire said.
“He did all the training yesterday and he’s pulled up well today, so we expect to name him.
“We’ve prepared well, so now it’s just about actually putting it into action on game day and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
While it’s been almost five months since the last time the two sides met, Longmire said the Kangaroos had made significant improvements across the board throughout the season.
In particular the Kangaroos’ midfield, which includes the likes of Nick Dal Santo, Andrew Swallow, Daniel Wells, Ben Cunnington and Sam Gibson, were hitting their straps at the right point of the season.
“North Melbourne are a very even team,” he said.
“They’ve got a really good balance of inside and outside players and their forward line and defence is well structured.
“Their midfield group in particular, they can get big numbers, and if you can get big numbers into their forward line then they can kick goals quickly.
“They are very confident and they come up with full confidence in their game and in each other and it’s well-deserved that they’re in the preliminary final.”
Longmire, a life member of both clubs, said the Swans would need to be accountable across the board on Friday night to shut down the Kangaroos’ drive and attacking play.
“We need to make sure that our 18-man defence is really strong and our midfield group in general need to play an accountable two-way game,” he said.
“Whether that’s when they’ve got the ball or we’ve got the ball, it’s making sure that we’re working together to restrict the opposition’s team.”
