SYDNEY Swans midfielder Ben McGlynn has called on his teammates to convert their effort into results when they take on Hawthorn in a crucial round 19 clash on Saturday at the SCG.

The Swans have lost their past two games against Melbourne and Geelong by an average of 10 goals, putting their finals hopes in jeopardy.

McGlynn, who will face his former side for the first time on Saturday, said the time for talk was long gone.

“We’ve had too many crisis meetings this year already so it’s just a matter of controlling what you can control,” McGlynn laughed.

“Last week after Melbourne, we just wanted the Geelong game to come as quickly as possible because we just wanted to get out and make amends. Obviously we didn’t, again, but hopefully this week we can do that.

“You can sit there and talk and have all the meetings you want but it’s more about your attitude on the field and what you can deliver.”

“Actions speak louder than words so hopefully we can do that this weekend.”

Where a lack of effort was the chief concern after the surprise 73-point loss to Melbourne, McGlynn said skill execution cost the Swans dearly against the Cats.

Geelong’s ability to protect Gary Ablett from the attention of opposition taggers was another area that the Swans could improve, he said.

“They really go out of their way to make room for him and look after him,” McGlynn said.

“That’s why they’re such a great team and for us, with a young group coming through at the Swans, hopefully we can adopt that attitude and help out Josh Kennedy who’s doing a lot of the work in the middle, and Jude Bolton and Ryan O’Keefe. It was a great learning curve.”

As he prepared to take on his former teammates on Saturday, McGlynn admitted to indulging in some pre-match banter with his good friend, Hawks midfielder Brad Sewell.

“I’ve been on to Brad Sewell a bit this week so I’ll definitely be giving him a bit when I get out there,” he said.

“We talk every week, but it's more just about his features. He thinks he’s a very good looking man, Brad Sewell, so I think a few of the boys will be getting into him this week.”

But when it came to assessing the Hawks’ chances of challenging for the flag, McGlynn was deadly serious in labelling them a genuine contender.

“Early in the year they were disappointing but they’ve changed their game plan,” he said.

“They’ve got the talent there but I think their attitude’s changed a lot and I reckon they’ll go very far into September regardless of finishing outside the [top] four.”


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