The Swans came into Round 19 in fourth place, but right now appear more likely to miss the eight altogether rather than sew up a double chance in the top four.
They’ve fallen to ninth after their 33-point loss to the Bombers on Friday night and with key players injured and some looking very sore, they’re quite clearly in a slump.
Sydney ruckman Callum Sinclair admitted as much on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“I don’t think our game plan fell apart, we’re not in great form at the moment as a club, that’s quite obvious, but I don’t think our game plan is falling apart,” Sinclair said.
“It’s just a patch that you go through and unfortunately things aren’t going our way at the moment, but we’re going to do everything we can to push back.
LONGMIRE'S STUNNING FRANKLING REVELATION
“The defence I think were under extreme heat and that probably stems from our midfield and our forwards trying to find ways to contribute to taking a bit of pressure off their load.”
However, Sinclair remains confident Sydney can live up to their reputation and make finals.
“We know that when all 22 players are playing at their best and are completely united and going well, we can match it with the best,” he said.
“We’ve proven that for a long period of time and just because we’re going through a form slump, that doesn’t mean we just start questioning our game plan and things like that, we’ve proven our footy can match it with the best.”
Sydney will host Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night and given their recent record at home, it will be another big test.
Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon doesn't think the Swans can get it done.
“I think we’re going to have a finals series for the first time in nine years or so that’s going to be without Sydney," he told SEN Breakfast.
“They just looked out on their feet on the weekend.”