LAST time the Sydney Swans were preparing to face St Kilda, in round nine this season, it was felt they had an advantage they could exploit in the ruck against the undermanned Saints.

The result? The relatively diminutive Jason Blake (189cm) took the honours in his battle with Mike Pyke (200cm) and Lewis Roberts-Thomson (194cm) as St Kilda rolled to an impressive 28-point win at Etihad Stadium.

This time around, the Swans' in-form pairing of Pyke and Shane Mumford - who are coming off a strong performance against West Coast's dynamic duo Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui - would be marginally favoured to give their side first use against Ben McEvoy and Justin Koschitzke.

But coach John Longmire is wary of history repeating and sees the ruck as a crucial factor for Sunday's clash at the SCG.

"There's no doubt," Longmire said prior to training on Friday. "McEvoy is a quality ruckman and so is Justin Koschitzke.

"Last time we played St Kilda we were beaten soundly in the ruck and that's something that we need to address.

"We were beaten in most areas, but that was certainly one.

"What we're after is a really strong contest in that part of the ground."

Another factor in St Kilda's triumph in round nine was Lenny Hayes, whose stat line at full-time of his 250th game - 27 disposals, nine clearances, six inside 50s and five tackles - made for impressive reading.
 
Longmire knows he must find a way to curb Hayes' influence if his side is to stretch its winning streak to seven and maintain top spot on the ladder.

"It's really difficult when you play against those inside mids like Lenny Hayes or Simon Black," Longmire said.

"You don't use the word great too often, but they really are great inside midfielders and it's really hard to stop them.

"You try to nullify them in that part of the game, but what's very hard to nullify with Lenny Hayes is his competitiveness.

"Last week against Brisbane when the game was in the balance, tactics almost go out the window because you could almost see it written in his face that he wasn't going to let the game slip."

The Swans are short $1.35 favourites on their home turf, to the Saints' $3.25, but the ladder-leaders remain extremely wary of their opponents.

As well as the ruck and the midfield, the Saints were also able to get on top in round nine via their impressive small forwards.

Stephen Milne (three goals), Ahmed Saad (two), Jack Steven (two) and Terry Milera (one) all contributed to the victory that day.

And all are playing this week, with Steven and Milera returning to the squad and former Swan Adam Schneider also named, having missed the round nine encounter.

Among a bevy of focus areas, Longmire knows somehow containing St Kilda's pint-sized army of attacking options will be vital.

"It's one of their real strengths," Longmire said.

"We know what a great player Milne has been over a long period of time, a small forward who has kicked over 500 goals.

"And their other small forwards in the team are really creating some headaches."

James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD