THE SYDNEY Swans remain a mathematical chance to play finals football this season after overcoming Melbourne on Sunday, but Paul Roos maintains September isn't on the agenda after the scrappy 18-point win.

“We don’t talk about them (finals),” Roos said. “What we are trying to do is what you saw today.

"There’s a lot of really positive signs and that’s what we’ve got to concentrate on for the next five or six weeks.
 
"I thought Dan Henneberry at times showed his class and his ability to win the ball and use it well. I thought Heath Grundy’s game was very, very good – he probably got tired at times because we couldn’t rotate our defenders as much as they rotated their tall forwards.

"Nick Smith continues to improve, Ed Barlow took a good  hanger which was good, I thought Darren Jolly’s game was exceptional as well so he’s finishing off what’s been a really good season for him, so they’re the main positives."

It's easy to see why Roos isn't interested in talking finals when you peer into his side's next fortnight and see first St Kilda then Geelong waiting.

Saints' coach Ross Lyon was in Canberra to scout the Swans ahead of the clash, but Roos felt his side didn't justify the journey.

“He wasted a day he could have spent with the kids, to be honest,” he said.

“If we play like that against St Kilda we might be lucky to score.
 
“Our biggest concern at the moment is the difference between our best and our worst … we need to work as hard as we can on that in the next six weeks."
 
Rather than bemoan the tough run home though, Roos is looking forward to the chance to pit his developing team against the best.
 
“I think it's good because there’s a lot of debate about the tanking issue and for us it's really good to play some good quality teams," he said.

"It’s an opportunity for our blokes to play some good players and it gives them a snap shot going into the pre-season as to how close or how far and what they need to work on.

"I would certainly prefer that to the other alternative."