THREE Abletts will take the field this weekend when the Sydney Swans tackle Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

But Swans midfielder Luke Ablett knows the crowd will be far more subdued each time he touches the ball as opposed to either of his cousins – Geelong favourite sons Gary and Nathan.

But catching up with family will be the furthest thing from Ablett's mind as he and his Swans teammates try to improve their 6-6 season record and stay in touch with the pack.

They will have to rebound after coach Paul Roos described last week's loss to Collingwood as the club's worst in five years.

While Arctic-like conditions are expected at the notoriously chilly Skilled Stadium, the Swans are expecting to face a red-hot Geelong, who sit atop the AFL ladder with a 9-3 record and a massive percentage.

"The way they're playing at the moment they're going to be full of confidence. Coming off a week off they should be fresh and full of run so it's a huge game," Ablett said.

"So what better way for us to get our season back on track than to take on the league leaders down there on their home ground.

"It's not necessarily about winning but it's about going down swinging, having a crack and getting back to the way we want to play."

The Swans will endeavour to kick a winning total against the competition's highest-scoring side without Barry Hall, who Roos said would miss at least one week with a groin injury.

Ablett admitted it would be different for him and his teammates as they streamed forward to look up and not see the imposing sight of Hall.

"I think he's played something like 120-odd games in a row so it's going to be a bit different for the guys not seeing him down there," he said.

"You know he's one of our captains and even though he hasn't been playing well he's still one of our great leaders on the field and I'm sure we'll miss him.

"(But we've) got quite a few guys who can go down there. I think we'll get Nick Davis back this week, so he'll give us a bit of a different look," Ablett said.

"We've been accused of being a bit too Hally-focused at times this year. If he's not down there and if there's a few other guys bobbing up and we can get a good even spread, then who knows what can happen?"

While kicking a winning score is one half of the assignment, restricting the recently-rampant Cats is the other.

Much of that task will fall to Ablett and his midfield mates, who must shut down Geelong's in-form band of runners, including Ablett's cousin – Brownlow Medal favourite Gary Ablett.

"I might line-up on him at times, as in I might find myself standing beside him but I wouldn't think we'd be playing on each other," Ablett said.

"He's another one down there who's really stepped it up and who's having a great season. He is also probably coming off the best game that he's played, last game.

"So whoever ends up on him has got a huge job. But they've (Geelong) got a lot of good midfieders going through there at the moment so everyone's got their work cut out for them."