Swans coach Paul Roos rated last Sunday's performance against Brisbane as the best win of his brief coaching career.

"When you consider the opposition we faced, it couldn't have been better," Roos said. "They were a bit off the boil but we played a big part in that. They're the reigning premiers and they hadn't been beaten this season for a reason. That's as good as you're going to face. I think we showed the kind of footy we can play when we put it all together."

"But it's a bit different, I guess, between being a player and a coach. As a coach, you review the game then get ready for next week. There's not a whole lot of time to take that kind of thing in."

"The Melbourne game must have been reasonably significant," Roos said. "I don't know if there's a button you can push but it maybe just flicked that switch on that says, 'we can play, we can kick 10 goals in a quarter.'"

"I'm happy for the players and the way they're working," Roos said. "The work rate has been there all year, in all the seven games I could never fault their effort. That's the most pleasing thing, to get reward now for the effort."

"The competition is so even that everyone must realise we are only as good as our last game. We can't afford to stay on a high because the next week can be a low point against any side. Every match is a danger one."

"This is a tough competition week in and week out and the players know what to expect this Sunday," Roos said. "There are no tricks, no secrets to keep this winning momentum on a roll. We know where we are at and know we have to play well to beat Geelong."

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Michael O'Loughlin put the Swans' improved form down to self-belief.

"It got scary there for a bit. Brisbane are a quality side, they always come back. They were never going to lie down. A lot of the young players stood up."

"A lot of it goes down to belief in ourselves," said O'Loughlin. "Everyone wrote us off but believe in ourselves. We have been playing really good footy the last couple of weeks. Today, we went out with the attitude that Brisbane would lose sooner or later. We just went out there an attacked everything. It was really good."

"That's the only way you'll beat Brisbane," he said. "It's very difficult to beat a champion team playing conservatively. You have to take risks and, luckily, they paid off."

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Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews did not believe complacency was an issue for his side and said the result came down to the Swans' superior play on the day.

"Their scoring efficiency was much better than ours so they made the most of their opportunities," Matthew said. They were much cleaner with the ball and kicked the ball better than we did . . . they won across the park."

"They were stronger at the ball early and it is disappointing when your opposition is like that. Their intensity was strong, they were able to break tackles and get the ball out. Their forwards lead into space and that's how Sydney kicked goals."

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Daryn Cresswell's return from injury coincided with the start of Sydney's run of victories, and he is looking forward to the Geelong game.

"It's different this year. We're young and we've got to learn how to improve on this three-game winning streak we're on. This will be a great test for our young guys. They've shown they can lift against the top team, now they have to do it against the bottom team who have a very good young mid-field. I don't want to play on a losing team this year. I want to go to the finals."

"I wasn't having much fun when I was on the sidelines, watching a few teams get on top of us because of our own mistakes," Cresswell said. "Now we've shown what we're capable of. You never know with a young side. The finals aren't out of the question at all, even though a lot of people probably didn't expect us to be there at the start of the season. Having Jason Ball back this year has been a big difference."

"But regardless what happens with the way I play, I've made a decision to retire and that's it."

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Stuart Maxfield believes his team's best is yet to come.

"We've performed sensationally over the last two weeks but I think we've still got a lot of room for improvement," Maxfield said. "Over the last two weeks we've beaten quality opposition. Certainly, I think we've gained a bit of respect in terms of the football public. It's vital for us that everyone continues to back up."

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The AFL has decided not to charge Michael O'Loughlin for an umpire collision in the Brisbane game. O'Loughlin kicked a goal from close range in the first quarter, played up to the cheering fans, then turned and collided with a boundary umpire. Neither man fell to the ground and the incident has been deemed accidental.

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The Daily Telegraph reports that Leo Barry and Tadhg Kennelly have both signed new contracts until the end of the 2006 season.

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.a...E23211,00.html

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Matthew Nicks is available for the Geelong match after missing two games with a back problem.

Ben Fixter played half a game in the reserves after recovering from knee tendinitis. He is expected to need at least another couple of matches in the reserves before being considered for senior selection.