Dan Rich didn't need any reminding to know how long it had been since the Lions defeated Sydney.

The last time the Lions won the four premiership points against the Swans was Round 22, 2009.

It was Rich's first season in the AFL and the week before the Lions won an elimination final against Carlton – its last trip to the finals.

Not surprisingly, Rich is the only remaining member from that team.

However, with a 4-2 record and preparing to host a struggling Sydney (1-5) at the Gabba, Rich said the Lions were confident of breaking the drought on Saturday.

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"It's no different to (beating) West Coast and a few other teams. I think North and Port were in similar positions, we hadn't beaten them for a while," Rich said on Tuesday morning.

"We'll go into the game with confidence, knowing we've got to play good footy because they offer up a strong contest no matter where they're positioned on the ladder."

Aside from losing the past 11 matches against Sydney, the Lions has won just three times, plus a draw, since 2004.

The Lions bounced back from poor performances against Essendon and Collingwood with a strong 49-point win over Gold Coast at the weekend to put themselves back in the top eight.

Rich said they no longer feared any team in the competition.

"Confidence has been building, that's for sure," he said.

"I think that's been the biggest thing Fages (Chris Fagan) and the coaches have instilled in us as players.

"You've got to keep banging on the door, it might not happen in the first or second quarter, it might happen in the last quarter, and we've had that mindset for a while.

"It's not something that's just happened this year, it's built over the last 24 months."

Harris Andrews and Rhys Mathieson, who both missed the win over the Suns with hamstring injuries, trained with the main group and just have to get through the week unscathed to be available for selection.