THE SYDNEY Swans are desperate to ensure their SCG home remains a graveyard for visiting AFL teams, starting with this Sunday's clash with Richmond at the famous ground.
The Swans have traditionally earned a significant home ground advantage, but that has not held so far in 2011.
They have won just one of their four matches at the SCG this season, that win coming against 16th-placed Port Adelaide, to go with a victory over Essendon in their only match at ANZ Stadium so far.
Granted the teams they have lost to at the SCG - Geelong, Hawthorn and Carlton - are all in the top four, but veteran midfielder Jude Bolton says that is no excuse.
"We just want to get back to the SCG and have a good game and reward the fans that come out," Bolton said on Tuesday.
"We want to make sure we play really well at the SCG. We always strive to make it a fortress, but it hasn't been that this year.
"You can accept we've played some quality sides here, but we've been in those games and let them slip.
"Hopefully it's a cracking day on Sunday and everyone wants to come out and see us play."
They will face a Richmond side that has shown plenty of improvement this season, although the Tigers lost their last match to Port Adelaide prior to a bye.
Bolton says the Swans are expecting the Tigers' very best on Sunday.
"We always prepare for their best, they're going to be fresh coming off the bye," he said.
"They've got a quality midfield, with [Trent] Cotchin, [Brett] Deledio, [Dustin] Martin and [Nathan] Foley, so it's a quality outfit, and they've also got the current leader in the Coleman Medal [Jack Riewoldt].
"We prepare for their best and we'll be ready to go."
Bolton, who this season moved past John Rantall into third on the Swans' games-played list behind Michael O'Loughlin and Adam Goodes, has been in superb form in 2011.
The 2005 premiership player loves the direction the young Swans are going in and hopes to extend his contract for 2012 and possibly beyond.
"It's just good to be able to say I've played with some quality players over the journey and also to be a one-team player," he said.
"Hopefully I'll just keep ticking them (games) over.
"I love getting out there and competing each week and certainly seeing Lewis Jetta light up the SCG or anything like that is really inspiring as well.
Bolton is the AFL's equal-leading tackler this season, with West Coast's Scott Selwood, and says tackling has always been part of his approach.
"It's been a part of my game since I was a young kid," he said.
"I grew up playing in the Footscray District [Football League], so you had to keep your head over it and get in tight, otherwise you might get sniped occasionally.
"No, it's been an attribute of mine for a while."
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
