Sydney Swans defender Tony Armstrong is determined to try and cement a place in the Swans’ line-up this season.

Armstrong, who played eight senior games for the Swans in 2012, took a step forward in securing his spot in the best 22 after starting as the sub in Saturday’s 30-point win over GWS at ANZ Stadium.

The 23-year-old told sydneyswans.com.au he hopes his round one inclusion will be the beginning of a big second season for him at the club.

“I played round one as sub and got a little bit of it,” he said.

“I’m just looking to play week in, week out and by the end of the year I hope to have cemented a spot in the team.

“Being named last weekend was definitely a step in the right direction.”

The recent season-ending knee injury to fellow defender Alex Johnson has opened up a rare spot in the Swans’ backline, and Armstrong is one of the likely candidates to help fill the void in Johnson’s absence.

With competition coming from new recruits including Dane Rampe and Dean Towers, Armstrong said he needed to be at his best to put his name forward.

“What happened with AJ was terrible, and no player could be happy about a spot opening up for that reason,” he said.

“Of course, it obviously does open up a spot in the back line, so what I need to do is make sure I state my claim for it, but there will be some tough competition.”

Armstrong has already put his best foot forward this pre-season, completing a full training program, which impressed fellow players and coaches alike.

The defender said his pre-season efforts filled him with confidence heading into the new season, particularly after a disappointing pre-season in 2012.

“My pre-season was much better than it was last year and I actually trained this year,” Armstrong said.

“Last year after the first session I had to get a knee operation so that sort of cost me in fitness and preparation for the pre-season, so this year has been a welcome change to that.

“I feel like I’ve already got that fitness base behind me, which is really encouraging heading into this season.”

Armstrong will aim to be named in the Swans side that hosts the Gold Coast Suns this Saturday afternoon at the SCG.

Following the Suns impressive first round victory over St Kilda, Armstrong said the Swans were in for a fierce battle at home in round two.

“The Suns obviously had a really good win on the weekend against St Kilda, and they came from behind, so we know the game could go down to the wire,” he said.

“They’ve got a lot of talented players and we just know we’re going to have to bring our best to get over them.”

Armstrong highlighted the task of stopping Suns captain Gary Ablett as one of the Swans biggest challenges this weekend.

“It could be any number of blokes who could get the job on him. I think Pebs (Ryan O’Keefe) did a really good job on Toby Greene and he’s played on Gaz before, and I think Benny (McGlynn) and Kizza (Kieren Jack) have also played on him, so we’ve got quite a few guys who can take him,” he said.

“At the end of the day it will be a team role because I don’t think one bloke can take Gary Ablett.”