Should Sydney triumph this weekend they'll square the ledger of their season at 7-7, and may finish the round inside the top eight for the first time in 10 months.

Swans players remain fixed to their "one game at a time" mantra, but subconsciously, at least, they realise finals have become a distinct possibility, particularly after Friday's last-gasp win over Essendon.

In a fiery game against the Bombers key duo Luke Parker and Dane Rampe picked up $1500 fines for striking and wrestling respectively, both of which will be reduced to $1000 with early guilty pleas.

Buoyed by the win, Parker mentioned the F-word several times before training on Monday, a word that until this point had been absent in 2017 at a club that has finished in the top eight 18 times in the past 21 years.

"We probably weren't playing the footy we wanted on the weekend, that's not going to stand up in finals and we know that," Parker said.

"It's great to see the character we have in our playing group, to not be able to go back into our shells when it gets a bit tough. That's the thing that tests us and that's the thing that stands up in finals."

Sydney are still not playing their best footy, and Parker rightly asserts they need to improve significantly to threaten in September, should they make it that far.

But he's also correct in saying the experience they've gained in those close finishes this year could prove crucial in an elimination final.

And their list is still on the improve now most of the club's injury concerns have subsided. Veteran Jarrad McVeigh is in line for a recall against the Demons after successfully playing in the reserves on the weekend.

Ruckman Kurt Tippett sat out last weekend with a minor ankle injury but is expected to train on Wednesday and put his hand up for an AFL recall, although coach John Longmire will be tempted to give him another week in the NEAFL.

Melbourne heads into the match off a last-ditch win over West Coast, although they'll be on a six-day back-up from Perth that will shorten their preparation for the Swans clash.

The Demons firmed into a $9 premiership chance after overhauling the Eagles, while Sydney is in the conversation at $13 after drifting to $51 following six-straight losses to start the year.

"We were nowhere near where we were last year, the reality is the competition's gone to another level, they're really coming to hunt the best sides and last year we were one of the best sides," Parker said.

"Every week teams were coming at us and knocking us off and that was evident early on in the season so we've cost ourselves a lot there.

"We've taken confidence out of our last five or six weeks of football, no matter who we come up against, our best stands up against the best.

"We thought we proved that with Richmond and the Bulldogs and for us it's continuously ticking the boxes all week.

"They [Melbourne] have had some really good wins against some great sides and as you can see it's so even this competition, so if you're 5 per cent off you're going to lose the match. The main thing for us is no matter who we're playing, we're on top of our game."