SYDNEY Swans defender Ted Richards says his side must employ a whole-team approach to ensure Hawthorn forwards Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead don't enjoy a day out at the SCG on Saturday.

The Swans are in desperate need of victory to advance their bid for a finals berth to farewell coach Paul Roos and co-captain Brett Kirk in style, but Franklin and Roughead pose a serious threat to their ambitions.

Compounding matters is the absence of regular Swans defenders Craig Bolton and Lewis Roberts-Thomson, but Richards said he and fellow key backman Heath Grundy wouldn't be intimidated.

"You're not always going to have the people out there that you've relied on in previous times. We've got six defenders and we'll line up on whoever we get on the day," he said on Thursday.

"We're going to need support and in the forward line, we're going to need them to pressure so it's not coming out too easy. It's not going to come down to one or two of us.  I think it going to be a full-team approach."

Richards has managed just eight matches in 2010 after playing 86 of a possible 98 games since joining the Swans from Essendon for the 2006 season.

He has played the past four games alternating between attack and defence, and he conceded that he had doubted his ability to regain his berth in the side during a seven-game stint in the seconds.

"If you get dropped and find yourself playing reserves football, it can be a dark place. You try and play your best football and get back into the team, but I did spend quite a bit of time down there," he said.

"I don't want to go back there so I'm trying to play my best football to hold my spot, but at the same time, I'm trying to play my best football so we can win the games."

Richards said the punctured lung suffered in round 16, 2009 after a clash with then-Carlton forward Brendan Fevola hadn't been a concern since a robust pre-season session in January.

"I got a good hit from Adam Goodes - thanks Goodesy - and it all held up and I knew straight away then that it was back and I didn't need to worry about it anymore," he said.

"I've moved on… I don't really think about it anymore. Just as long as Goodesy's not hitting me, I'm pretty happy."

Players often trot out the "one week at a time" mantra but Richards said the Swans players were keenly aware of their precarious place in the top eight with four rounds to play.

"We're running out of time and we really need to start to get some wins. We're drifting back and there's a big pack all wanting to get into the finals," he said.

Roos said Grundy's running ability made him an obvious choice to start on Franklin, leaving Richards to take Roughead.

He warned that the Swans would need to lift their game even further to go one better than their two-point loss against the Hawks back in round nine at the MCG.

"They were really starting to get into gear and get their players back [and] I think they've been able to maintain that form," he said.

"They played well against us and we played pretty well … we'll have to play at least at that level, and probably a bit better, to beat them."

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