SYDNEY Swan Ryan O'Keefe has expressed his annoyance of the ongoing criticism of his team.

O'Keefe said the side is still keen to show it is a force in the finals despite constantly being written off by the media.

"People have got opinions and are always going to write us off," said O'Keefe, who was an All-Australian in 2006 and has made the shortlist of 40 nominees this year.

"It does fire the players up and it does get a bit annoying.

"If people want to keep writing us off, we'll keep proving them wrong."

O'Keefe, Adam Goodes and Barry Hall contributed eight goals in Sydney's 35-point win over North Melbourne in last week's elimination final and the Swans will rely heavily on the trio to reproduce that form in Friday night's semi-final against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

O'Keefe says with the Swans building momentum in their sixth successive finals campaign, the 2005 premiers and 2006 runners-up are keen to show they are still a force in September despite a list that includes six players in their 30s.

Those thirty-somethings include Hall and co-captain Brett Kirk, whose 12-possession haul in the third quarter against North helped spark the Swans' revival.