The club:
Formed: 1874 (as South Melbourne)
Joined AFL: 1897
Premierships: Four (1909, 1918, 1933, 2005)
Last finals appearance: 2006 (Grand Final)

2006 at a glance
Few teams boast the stability of the Swans, who manage to stay well away from controversy. In 2006, they managed to stay away from injury, too, as they came within two points of back-to-back flags. Of the Swans' first-choice 22, only Jared Crouch was injured for an extended period of time, meaning coach Paul Roos had nearly a full side to pick from throughout Sydney's premiership defence. Consistent as always, the Swans started slowly, before eventually winning 16 home-and-away games, finishing fourth and knocking off minor premiers West Coast in the first qualifying final. A home win over Fremantle sealed a Grand Final berth, where Sydney's search for a second, successive premiership came up agonisingly short, courtesy of a one-point loss to the Eagles.

2007 to date
No surprise that Sydney bowed out of the NAB Cup in the first round - the Swans are yet to win a "live" pre-season match in Roos' tenure. After going down by 27 points to the Western Bulldogs, Sydney accounted for Collingwood and Richmond in practice matches before losing narrowly to Port Adelaide in the last lead-up to the season proper.The season-opening Grand Final rematch between the Swans and the Eagles lived up to expectations, with West Coast getting up by a solitary point - the last six games between the two sides have been decided by a combined 13 points. Sydney nearly stole the game from the Eagles after trailing by three goals half-way through the last quarter but had to wait until last weekend's clash with Richmond to get their first win. On that occasion, with new ruckman Peter Everitt best afield, the Swans triumphed by 16 points and would have won by even more with better conversion.

The coach
It's not often that a coach makes the kind of immediate impact that former Fitzroy and Sydney star Roos has at the Swans. Roos' 356 games as a player were notable for containing no premierships, but it took him only 84 matches as a coach to land a flag. Roos entered season 2007 with an ultra-impressive 63 per cent winning ratio – the Swans have not finished lower than fifth in any of his four full seasons in charge. The rare player who was admired by fans of opposition teams as well as those of his own, Roos seems to have carried his ‘likeability’ into the coaches' box, too.

Missing in action
Will Barry Hall play? That's likely to be the biggest question being asked south and north of the Tweed this week. Sydney has indicated it will give their spearhead every chance and there seems no doubt Hall will at least be named in Thursday's extended squad. But is it worth risking an injured player, especially such a crucial one, this early in the campaign? We'll see. Other than that, there aren't too many injury concerns in the Sydney camp. Paul Bevan will miss another week with a hamstring injury, while Nick Davis is out for a fortnight with a foot complaint and Lewis Roberts-Thomson is consigned to the long-term injury list, also by foot trouble.

The gun
Honourable mentions to the doubtful Hall and 250-gamer Michael O'Loughlin, but Adam Goodes is the player likely to cause the Lions the most match-up deliberations. Big enough (194cm, 96kg) to fill a key position, Goodes also has the agility and skill to play in the midfield. He has won a pair of Brownlows playing entirely different positions - firstly in 2003 as a ruckman/key forward and then in 2006 as an extremely tall winger. Blessed with pin-point disposal and exceptional athleticism and endurance, Goodes, as Lions coach Leigh Matthews noted during the week, can kill you unless assigned a marker able to keep pace with him. Ex-Swan Ben Fixter has been mentioned in this week's press as a likely opponent for Goodes, but don't be surprised to see Tim Notting, Robbie Copeland or even Irishman Colm Begley with the job at times. Notting, at 188cm and 90kg, appeals as the best like-for-like physical match-up.

The bolter
Nick Malceski started last season as an emergency but ended it in Sydney's best 22, form he has carried in to the start of the 2007 season. Named the Swans' most improved player last year, Malceski's 17 games in 2006 were 12 more than what he managed in 2005. In the process, he became an integral part of Sydney's disciplined yet free-wheeling defence and last weekend's display against Richmond was indicative of his talents. The 22-year-old had 24 touches, kicked two goals and used his raking left foot to send the Swans forward on countless occasions. Malceski's enterprising work, in combination with that of Tadhg Kennelly and former Lion Craig Bolton, means the Swans' backline can be every bit as dangerous as its midfield.

Strengths
If Hall was a certain starter, it would be difficult to go past his pairing with Michael O'Loughlin. Given that their five-time leading goalkicker is a doubtful participant, the Swans' biggest strength lies in something a little less tangible – the team spirit that has characterised their efforts in the past two seasons. The ‘Bloods’ ethos pedalled by Roos and epitomised by Buddhist midfielder Brett Kirk means more to this Sydney team than anything statistical ever could. When everything is clicking, the Swans are the competition's most-disciplined and well-drilled side. For evidence, watch a tape of Sydney's 2006 preliminary final win over Fremantle and the second half of last year's Grand Final. You'll see a team running together, hunting together, working for each other and disposing the football with clinical efficiency.

Weaknesses
The Swans boast plenty of potential attack from defence and more than a few good stoppers – Leo Barry, Ted Richards and Bolton are all capable of shutting their opponents down. But do they have anyone equipped to deal with Jonathan Brown in a one-on-one contest? OK, so that question applies to just about every team in the league. But it applies particularly to Sydney, whose key defenders would give up at least 10kg to Brown. The Lions’ powerhouse centre half-forward was a non-factor in the round six clash at the Gabba last year. Sydney, however, dominated that match and if the in-form Lions are able to get on top in the midfield and deliver well to Brown, that scenario could be reversed. Brown didn't see a massive amount of the ball in last week's win over St Kilda but it didn't matter – strong hands, accurate kicking and some useful service from the Lions running brigade helped him kick 5.0.

The Queensland factor
Craig Bolton is the highest-profile Swan to have spent time in the Sunshine State, having played 29 games as Lion from 2000-02. The small key defender has blossomed as a Sydney player after limited opportunities in a successful era at the Gabba, playing in the Swans' 2005 premiership team and earning his first All-Australian guernsey in 2006. Often undersized, Bolton makes up for any lack of height and weight with skilful reading of the play and unquestioned commitment. Another connection the Swans have with north of the border is new assistant coach John Blakey, who was assistant for three years at the Lions from 2003-06.

Sydney's only other Queensland product is Southport ruckman Jesse White, who arrived at the club as the No. 79 pick of last year's national draft.