SYDNEY co-captain Josh Kennedy says he’s confident the winless Swans can draw on the experience of battling back from a horror start two years ago.
The Swans have lost their first two matches heading into Saturday’s clash with Carlton at Marvel Stadium but lost six in a row at the start of 2017 and still made the finals.
“It’s part of our history and a lot of players going out there on the weekend were part of that, so we know what it takes,” Kennedy said on Thursday.
“There’s still a lot of footy to play but there’s no science to it, we’ve just got to put our head down and bum up.”
The slow start has also increased external scrutiny and criticism of the Swans’ host of youngsters, with even coach John Longmire conceding the club needs more from them.
Kennedy said the younger players were dealing with it well.
“This is a game that can be pretty brutal but it can change pretty quickly,” he said .
“These kids are all working really hard as well as the senior players to turn it around.
“They are all great characters, they have got great resilience and can turn it around quickly, and once they get on a run they are pretty hard to stop.”
Kennedy said there had been a focus this week on improving discipline after Sydney conceded a lot of free-kicks at stoppages in last week’s loss to Adelaide.
He stressed Sydney wouldn’t be underestimating Carlton despite the Blues also being 0-2.
“They’ve been ultra competitive; we’re certainly not taking them lightly and they are a really improved side from last year,” Kennedy said.
“I think they are number four in the comp at contested possession.
“The way that they move the ball from defence through their forward 50 is at the top echelon of the comp.”
He said the Swans midfield faced a huge task to nullify Patrick Cripps.
© AAP 2019