IT WAS a dejected Marty Mattner who sat slumped in the change rooms after Saturday night's match at ANZ Stadium.

The Swans had just lost another close game, falling to Geelong by five points despite an outstanding effort from the young playing group.

“I think we were behind most of the game and we were unable to get that extra goal or get two or three goals in front to gather momentum,” Mattner said.

Mattner found himself in a range of positions in the match, kicking two goals to add to his 16 possessions and six tackles.

“My first half wasn’t great, but I was happy with my third quarter. Last quarter I played a few different roles so I was happy with my last half.”

In Paul Roos' bid to experiment with his developing team, Mattner has found himself out of his usual rebounding role and put across positions all over the field.

“In the last few weeks my role has changed,” he said. “I have been playing in the midfield and it is good to be able to play on the wing as well as down back.

“I think you have been to be adaptable in today’s footy. If you are able to play in a lot of positions it makes it easier for a coach to pick you.

“I want to get better at playing in the midfield.”

Mattner acknowledges that he will have to get fitter during the pre-season to hold down a permanent midfield position.

“It is a different type of running. It is more constant running, as you need to get to the stoppages and run more consistently.”

Despite the loss, Mattner said the younger players in the side were gaining invaluable experience playing against top of the ladder teams in high pressure matches.

“I guess it is good for the young guys to play in the big games. The young guys like Jesse White, Nick Smith and Daniel Hannebery will learn from that.

"We have played St Kilda and Geelong in the last two weeks and we have Collingwood next week at the MCG so that is another big occasion for the young guys to experience.

“They will learn little things from these games. If we can finish this off well and go into the pre-season knowing what is expected of them it will be great."