Sydney Swans coach John Longmire is hoping the stats sheet at the end of Sunday’s clash with Richmond at the SCG will look a lot different from the last time the two sides met back in round seven last season.

In what was one of the Swans’ worst performances for the 2012 season, the Tigers dominated all over the field and notched up a massive 130 more possessions and claimed a 29-point win at the MCG.

Speaking before the club’s final training session ahead of Sunday’s twilight clash, Longmire said the Swans must step up the pressure in this weekend’s all important match.

“We didn’t play very well against them last year and we went down there and our pressure was pretty ordinary and they were able to move the ball from one end of the ground to the other with ease,” he said.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance in that game and we need to be a lot better than that.”

While Richmond ranks in last place in the league for tackles this season, the Tigers’ last month of football goes against the trend.

In Richmond’s last three matches, the club has averaged over 70 tackles per game, which is a vast improvement on their season average of 56.4 per game, and is a statistic Longmire is very much aware of.

“We looked at Richmond’s game last week against a high-pressure team in Fremantle and they were really good,” he said.

“Over the last three weeks their pressure has gone through the roof.

“They’re tackling more, they are the number one team at centre bounces, they’ve got enormous talent through their midfield and they bat really deep in their midfield.

“They are a formidable opponent and they are virtually at full strength, so it’s a real challenge for us.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s clash, the Swans have named Mitch Morton and Xavier Richards as well as newly promoted rookie Shane Biggs in the extended squad for the match.

Longmire said Biggs, who is in his second year at the Swans, has done enough this season to prove he should be in line to play senior football.

“Biggsy is our fourth player that we’ve elevated from our rookie list this year, which would almost have to be some sort of record,” the coach said.

“He is a player who is a bit older, he’s 21, and he’s an extremely good runner both endurance-wise and has some speed.

“He’s been playing at half back and through the midfield for our reserves and has been building on his form all year and has been one of our most consistent players over the last five or six weeks.

“We’d be more than comfortable in playing him because he’s been able to contribute on a really consistent basis for a long time in our reserves.”

Despite performing well for the reserves last week, both Gary Rohan and Rhyce Shaw will have to wait at least another week to make their long-awaited senior returns.

Longmire admitted that Rohan, who has played two games for the Swans reserves, had surprised the coaching staff with his impressive form after more than a year out of the game.

“The timetable is coming forward a bit quicker from the coach’s perspective,” Longmire said.

“He is amazing us at training and he’s probably been amazing us for a few weeks.

“What we’ve been pleased with is that he’s actually been going OK in the games, has been feeling really confident and has been running out the games really well.

“He’s been looking super confident in contested situations and then pulling up really well after games.

“He pulled up a little bit tight in the calf (after last week’s match) but then was able to train in our first training session this week and train really well, and that’s a real benefit.”