SYDNEY Swans co-captain Adam Goodes remembers many tussles he has had with Geelong over the years.

But he can't recall the last time he emerged victorious from a game at Skilled Stadium.

That's because when the Swans last won in Geelong, preparations were being completed for the Sydney Olympics, Adelaide were two-time defending AFL premiers and the Y2K bug was a major cause for concern.

May 16, 1999 was the date of the Swans' last triumph at Kardinia Park, a day when Tony Lockett kicked six goals, Wayne Schwass picked up three Brownlow votes and a little known youngster named Adam Goodes played his eighth AFL game.

The Swans, who have lost seven straight games in Geelong since that match, have another chance to end that long losing streak when they take on the Cats this Saturday.

Goodes is the only Swan still playing who competed on that day in 1999 and he admitted he had no memories of the match.

But he did have an interesting take on how they needed to play to end their drought in Geelong.

"No, not at all to be honest," Goodes said when asked if he remembered the game.

"I remember a lot of games down at Kardinia Park, but I don't remember '99.

"I can't remember the last time we won down there, but I do remember being out of the contest a few times at Kardinia Park and then just playing with a bit of confidence knowing the game was obviously out of reach of us winning.

"That's the same sort of confidence and self-belief we need to start the game with, that's what you need when you go down there against a really good Geelong outfit."
 
The Swans aren't the only team that has struggled in Geelong, with the Cats currently riding a remarkable 29-game home winning streak dating back to 2007.

Goodes believes the dimensions of Skilled Stadium are part of the key to the Cats' domination at the ground.

Skilled Stadium is 170m long and just 115m wide, compared to the MCG, which is 160m long and 141m wide.

Goodes believes that lack of room on the wings is a vital element at Skilled Stadium, although he said the Swans can at least benefit from their match against St Kilda at ANZ Stadium last Sunday.

The Olympic stadium is the same length as the MCG, but just 118m wide.

"They've got a real distinct home advantage there," Goodes said of the Cats.

"They've got a new stand, the wind blows from different directions and something people don't really notice is the wings are so, so small that it's very easy to kick the ball out of the middle and kick it out of bounds on the full.

"It is a narrow ground that Geelong play fantastically well.

"For us, having played at ANZ Stadium which is a skinnier ground as well, the boys know we're going to Skilled Stadium which is even skinnier and we'll have to play down the middle of the ground if we want to be competitive.

"You can't go around the wing because there really isn't any wing."

While the Swans are rank outsiders to end Geelong's home streak, they did get a massive boost in confidence from their hard-fought victory over the Saints.

It came seven days after a poor defeat to Richmond that was a major setback in the seventh-placed Swans' finals hopes and Goodes was thrilled with the response.

But he knows a similar effort is required this week if they are to compete with the Cats.

"It was a fantastic effort, obviously after the disappointing loss against Richmond the week before when there were a lot of questions about the way we played and our effort," he said.

"Across the board it was really disappointing and our focus at training and on the weekend was to make a statement that last week isn't the way we play our football at this football club.

"Any time you have a bad loss or lose the way we did against Richmond, you really just want to get out on the training track and make amends for it.

"We wanted to put in a four-quarter effort and have a real crack.

"Our boys should be really happy with their performance, but know that we need that sort of effort against a Geelong team that's obviously playing some good football.

"We're still no certainty to make the finals."