I would be disappointed if we don't get to the Hawks game 4-0. I don't expect we will beat the Dawks, as they match up well on us, and generally have had the wood on us over the last few seasons. But I do want to see us test them, and hopefully show that we are making moves in the right direction to start regularly challenging the elite teams in the competition.

It is so important this season that we hit the bye in good shape. A record worse than 9-2 to me would be on paper disappointing after 11 rounds. I don't think we will beat Hawthorn, and there is nothing easy about Essendon @ Etihad (Really can't wait to be there to hopefully get revenge for last season's Match of the Year cliffhanger), and St Kilda @ Etihad is never easy either. Then there are potential banana skins in Port away and Richmond Away as well. If we are serious about challenging for the top 4, I think we need to be 9-2 after 11 games, as the second half of our season is much tougher than the first half.

But on the flip side, a good 1st half to the season could set us up nicely for the tougher second half, and most importantly get another almost dozen games into the youngsters, and help create the belief and confidence in the playing group. We showed glimpses last year (That fine effort against the Pies, and the ever so wonderful win against Geelong) to say that we are moving in the right direction, and that our best is good enough to make it a tough day at the office for any team in the league.

I was a little despondent after a dissapointing, rusty performance against GWS. But the 1st half against Freo (not so much the 3rd and early 4th quarters) has given me great heart. There were some passages of play, some signs that immediately made me think back to what made us so good in 2005-06. Just a few glimpses of what this team might become if things go our way. Consistency I think will be our problem this season, but I have a good feeling about how we might go this season, and I have a very good feeling about just how good this team will become given time. We are clearly not as talented as the best teams across the park, but Swans teams very rarely are. What our club is famous for is making the 'team' worth so much more than the sum of its parts,and I think we are beginning to see those signs develop in our current squad.