THE last time the Swans won 10 games in a row King George V was the Monarch, Joseph Lyons was the Prime Minister and Australia’s population was only 6.7 million.

It was 1935 and Australia was in the grip of the depression but South Melbourne fans had plenty to cheer about as their team charged to 12 wins in a row to tie their record streaks of 1933 and 1918.

Eighty years on the economic outlook is much brighter and the Swans are within sight of the mark again with winnable games against the West Coast Eagles and Carlton coming up.

While fans and historians are getting excited about the feat Sydney’s coaches and players could hardly be more low-key.

“It’s certainly better than losing,” was coach John Longmire’s reply when asked about the streak following his team’s win over the Giants.

Ben McGlynn echoed his coach’s sentiments.

“The boys don’t buy into much,” McGlynn said.

“It’s good for the club and our history but we just want to get the wins each week and every opponent we come up against we obviously want to get the four points and play the football we know we can.”

What keeps the Swans minds away from the record books and on the job is the tightness of the competition.

media_camera Adam Goodes tries to gather the ball under pressure. Picture: Phil Hillyard

While the Swans are on a hot streak the teams around them on the ladder have had similar runs. Port Adelaide have won 10 of their past 11, Hawthorn have won seven of nine and Fremantle have won seven of eight.

“Coming into this weekend we are still third and a game off top spot and fighting to try and stay in that top four,” Longmire said.

“That’s where we sit and it’s just a pretty ruthless competition whether you are fighting for the top eight or in the position we’re in at the moment we have to keep winning.

“It’s been good that we are on a roll after the slow start we got off to and it’s a credit to the players who have been able to do that and consistently play well but you just have to keep going in this competition.”

media_camera Lance Franklin kicked five goals in the Swans’s 10th straight win. Picture: Phil Hillyard

McGlynn said he and his teammates are very much aware of how easy it is to drop matches after their 1-3 start to the season.

“We know the competition is very tight so you have to respect the opposition with each opponent you come up against,” McGlynn said.

“We’re never far away from a loss and if we don’t play the footy we know we need to win we can easily lose. Early in the season we showed we can be beaten and we need to bring four quarters of the football that we value and we know we can play to win each week.”

It’s a good thing for Swans fans that Longmire and McGlynn are keeping their noses out of the history books.

In 1935 South Melbourne lost the grand final to Collingwood after star full forward Bob Pratt missed the match because of a collision with a truck.

Originally published as Swans on verge of history