SYDNEY Swans coach Paul Roos says his players are far more responsible for the side's form turnaround than any tinkering in the coaches' box. 

The Swans have employed a string of structural changes in the past fortnight, predominantly in the forward line and they have reaped huge dividends in the form of crucial wins against North Melbourne and Carlton.

Adam Goodes is back to his Brownlow Medal-winning best playing predominantly in the midfield, while the likes of Rhyce Shaw and Ted Richard have impressed in attack.

But Roos was reluctant to take too much credit for the Swans' revival, saying his players deserved the rewards for their improved performances.

"We can move the players around but if they don't perform, we look like gooses. In the past couple of weeks, we've looked like geniuses. It's really the players; we just move them around the board," he said on Monday.

"If Goodesy went into the midfield and played poorly, it'd be "Why'd you move him?". [What] if Rhyce Shaw went to a forward pocket and didn't have the impact he did?

"I think the players have got to take most of the credit for that; we just try to find ways to win games of footy. Once the games start, the players have a much bigger impact than us."
 
Roos did concede that a change of position might have sparked Goodes and Shaw - two of the Swans' best against Carlton - out of their respective form slumps.

"Rhyce Shaw on the weekend ... he'd gone through a flat two or three weeks and that rejuvenated him ... It's probably similar for Goodesy," he said.

"I think for the rest of the team, most of the other guys have played in similar positions so I think they've just come with a better attitude. It's just a combination of the two."

Shaw's three-goal haul followed his two crucial last-quarter goals in the final term against North Melbourne in round 15 and Roos predicted the former Magpie would be volunteering for a permanent forward role.

"I wouldn't imagine he'd be creeping into the defensive meetings this week. I think he'll be the first one to see (forward coach) Johnny Blakey. They all love kicking goals," he said.

"I think what Rhyce showed on the weekend was just some natural forward instincts and it's something we probably have missed up there. A couple of times when they were coming at us, just a couple of those contested marks … for a guy his size, we really haven't had that without Braddy there for a while.

"Having Jesse (White) up there and having Rhyce up there as really good leading targets and taking marks certainly made the midfield function a lot better."

The Swans face Melbourne at the MCG this weekend and Roos confirmed they would be without defenders Nick Smith and Lewis Roberts-Thomson.

Smith is expected to miss at least two weeks with a hamstring injury sustained against Carlton while Lewis Roberts-Thomson will miss at least one week after suffering a minor hamstring strain at training on Friday.

Jarrad McVeigh will also be assessed after suffering what Roos described as a "corked calf" against the Blues.