AFTER an emotion-charged win over Fremantle, Swans coach Paul Roos wants to take his side back to basics for Sunday's clash with Carlton, and there's nothing more fundamental than kicking the first goal.
With forward Michael O'Loughlin playing a club-record 261st game and Adam Goodes notching his 200th AFL match, the Swans were primed for the occasion at the Sydney Cricket Ground last week.
But Sunday's game at the SCG is no less important for the 10th-placed Swans, who have a shaky 7-7 win-loss record and need to string together some victories to stay in touch with the top four.
"We won't know until Sunday but last week was probably the first time for a while we played for 120 minutes," Roos said.
"That intensity was back.
"But that can change pretty quickly. If Carlton get off to a good start and kick some goals then suddenly old habits creep in.
"We really need to get off to a good start again and make sure we are well and truly in the game at quarter-time.
"When we've been blown away early we've been able to come back because the guys never give up.
"But it has resulted in a number of losses because of a poor first half. Really the focus for us is the first 30 minutes and making sure we are very much in the game at quarter-time."
Roos joked the Swans would use the milestone caper again this week as a motivational tool.
"It just happens to be the same bloke but there's a new record this week so we might crank that up again," Roos said.
Knocking off Denis Pagan's 14th-placed Blues, who have recalled full-forward Brendan Fevola after a one-week club ban for a poor performance against Fremantle in round 13, should be easy pickings for Sydney.
Carlton's ruck division is in a shambles, thrashed by Melbourne's Jeff White last week with 44 hitouts, a statistic that will have Sydney's big men Peter Everitt and Darren Jolly licking their lips against Setanta O'hAilpin and Josh Kennedy.
"We just have to make sure our ruckman try to give our midfielders first use of the footy," Roos stressed.
"It has been a bit of a strength of theirs that they (Carlton) have been able to get some really good clearances, some clean breaks from the centre as well as the other stoppages."
Barry Hall presents another huge challenge for Carlton, with the centre half-forward's ongoing groin problems meaning the co-captain may be rested from Sydney's round-16 encounter with West Coast at Subiaco Oval.
Given the option of a rest the following week, Hall will be hell-bent on making a big impression against the struggling Blues.
"With Hally, it's just going to be an ongoing discussion throughout the rest of the season as to which games he plays," Roos said.
Sydney have named an unchanged team on Sunday, with Roos pointing to top side Geelong's stability at the selection table as a key factor in their success.
The decision means premiership defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson remains in the reserves in his comeback from a pre-season foot injury.
"I think it's really important. There's no secret to the fact that the teams who tend to do well, you look at Geelong are the benchmark team this season," Roos said.
