Sydney's belated revival has coincided with a return to its trademark hard-nosed style of play and given the club a fighting chance of making the finals.

The Swans of the first six rounds were unrecognisable to the outfit that has made two of the past three grand finals, but there have been encouraging signs since their horror start to the season.

At 4-7, the 14th-placed Swans remain in a dire situation and will need to win eight of their last 11 games but their supporters can at least cling to hope heading into the second half of the campaign.

Their list is in better health with former skipper Jarrad McVeigh the only star remaining in what had been a crowded casualty ward. There will be a selection headache this week for coach John Longmire, who has the luxury of leaving Gary Rohan and Kurt Tippett in the seconds after arguably their best performance of the year against the Western Bulldogs.