SYDNEY Swans midfielder Jude Bolton hopes an old-fashioned wet weather slog against Essendon on Sunday will mark the end of his side's month-long losing streak.

Sydney has been deluged by torrential rain for much of the week, and more rain is forecast at an already-sodden SCG before Sunday's clash against the Bombers.

Bolton said the wet ground, combined with the confines of the SCG "shoebox", would hopefully give the Swans an advantage as they search for their first win since round six.

"These conditions suit me. I don't have to worry about guys bursting through packs and things like that," he said before training on Thursday.

"It's going to be a hard-fought game against Essendon, and these conditions definitely bring it back to its purest form.

"The things that have been really worrying teams against Essendon have been the two ruckmen ... and also their run.

"They've been taking teams on, so hopefully we can play them in the shoebox out here."

Swans coach Paul Roos said the expected heavy ground would affect the style of game, rather than disadvantage one team or the other.

"You're quick if you're quick; it doesn't matter if it's raining or not," he said in reference to Essendon's fleet-footed midfield that boasts the likes of Alwyn Davey, Jason Winderlich and Courtenay Dempsey.

"It slows teams' ball use a bit because you can't use your handball as much and you tend to just quick-kick it. You don't tend to hit the lead-up targets, and you don't tend to over-finesse it out of defence."

Roos said tackling pressure and the ability to get first hands on the disputed ball would be even more important against Essendon, citing the emergence of a team's tackle count as a key predictor of success in 2010. 

To that end, the return of inside midfielder Craig Bird from a pre-season stress fracture in his foot couldn't have come at a better time for the Swans.

Although Bird has played just one game in the reserves before returning to the seniors, Roos said he was more than prepared for Sunday's clash.

"He could have easily played the last two or three seconds games. He played 100 minutes last week, he played really well, he was fit and he was one of our better players pre-season," Roos said.

"I think he'll have a significant impact on the game on the weekend, particularly given he's a really clean player and he's good in these conditions as well."

Should the Swans lose to the Bombers, who have won three of their past four games, they will reach the halfway point of the season with a 5-6 record after topping the ladder in round six.

Roos said it was crucial for his side to regain some confidence and form heading into the mid-season break after round 12.

"If we can get to 6-5, it makes the first half of the year pretty solid, given the amount of injuries we've had," he said.

"The next couple of weeks are critical to the back end of the year when we will get some personnel back. If we can win this and we go halfway at 6-5, you're very much in the mix."