SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Roos has lauded his side for making a sixth finals series in a row.
Roos said it was important to recognise the significance of the achievement before looking ahead to Saturday night’s elimination final against North Melbourne.
"When you know all the games are finished and you take five or ten minutes to reflect, it's exciting, it's a good feeling," Roos said on Tuesday.
"In a competition made for equity, to be able to play finals football six years in a row is a terrific effort by the guys."
Roos, who made 87 appearances for the Swans between 1995 and 1998, took over the coaching hotseat in 2002 from mentor Rodney Eade and has guided the club to six finals, two grand finals and one flag in 2005.
This season the Roos became the club's longest serving coach. He now has 154 games under his belt.
Roos explained that the side's 61-point win over the Lions was just the tonic the flagging Swans needed after just two wins from eight games going into the finals.
"We were wondering what was going on so last week gave us some confidence and that's important,” Roos said.
As well as some much-needed confidence, Roos says the Swans will have to be on their guard when it came to containing North Melbourne’s dangerous small forwards.
"North's forward structure is probably a little different to ours in that they can put four or five talls up there and they have those nippy crumbing forwards like (Lindsay) Thomas and (Matt) Campbell.
"And Shannon Grant is a good crumbing forward as well as a good marking forward so their forward line is a bit of a different mix to ours."
The teams played out a draw in round six at Telstra Dome but Roos says not too much can be gleaned from that result as the personnel are different.
Swans co-captain Craig Bolton said that he believed all sides were beatable and that his side had a great chance against the Kangaroos.
"We're every chance to have a good performance this week and win. North will feel exactly the same way and they are entitled to, given the form they are in.
"Last week we had nothing to lose. It was all about trying to get some form going into this week and luckily we were able to do that," he said of the 61-point victory over the Lions.
"And like Paul said, it is going to help us this week."
Bolton was keen to play down yesterday's comments by North coach Dean Laidley who accused Swans defenders of illegal tactics, including tunneling, which involves targeting players' legs when they jump for the ball.
"I haven't really paid too much attention to the comments," he said. "I haven't read them or anything. They probably won't affect anything in terms of our preparation or how we go into the game.
"It's not something we've thought about or spoken about as players or defenders so I don't think it'll have too much affect."