It might not have happened exactly how they would have liked, but for the Swans, a win’s a win.

Not only did Saturday night’s four-point win over the Bombers propel the Swans to the top of the table (for a few days at least), it was also the club’s first win for the season in Melbourne, as well as the Swans’ first top-four scalp for the season.

Speaking to SwansTV after the match, 100-gamer Kieren Jack said there was no doubt that the team will learn from the way the match panned out.

“I’ll remember this one, the first three quarters we were outstanding and we were really proud of the way we played,” he said.

Watch the video in the player above for Kieren Jack's post match reaction

“John gave us a message (after the game) that it was a good lesson to learn, we went away from the basics and (Essendon) gathered a heap of momentum and it was tough to stop, but somehow we managed to dig in and get a win.”

The Swans led the Bombers by 47 points at the final change, before the home team fired nine goals to two in the final term to go down by less than a straight kick.

But despite the Swans last quarter struggle, Jack said it was the team’s dominant performance over the first three quarters that the team was really pleased with.

“Probably our preparation during the week (helped on the night). We identified their midfielders as real gut runners, and they spread really hard and they’re able to use the ball uncontested-style and go forward, and I thought our mids were really able to stop that,” he said.

“Our forwards were pushing up and we really stopped their run and they really struggled to get the ball out of their defence, which was a real key for us.”

One of the many Swans players who took the game on in the first half was 2012 recruit Tony Armstrong.

Playing his first full game of the season, Armstrong racked up 24 possessions for the match, including 12 in the first term.

But the former Crow said he still had plenty of work to do before securing his place within the Swans’ senior group.

“It’s a start I guess. It was the first time I haven’t been the sub so I just wanted to make the most of my opportunity,” he told SwansTV after the match.

“There is a lot of competition for our spots so I was happy, but there is always room for improvement.”

Watch Tony Armstrong speaking to SwansTV after Saturday night's win

With the bye scheduled for this weekend, Armstrong said the team will now take a short break before preparing for the Friday night round 13 clash with Geelong.

“(John Longmire) said he just wants to make sure that we really reset (after this weekend’s match),” he said.

“The first half of the year is done now and we’ve given ourselves a good opportunity for the rest of the year but we still need to tick it all off.

“It doesn’t get much bigger (than Friday night against Geelong) - they’re the reigning premiers so their always going to be a tough team to beat.”