SYDNEY captain Lucy McEvoy hopes Geelong's dramatic qualifying final loss has put a "little dent" in its confidence as the Swans look to capitalise in Saturday's cut-throat semi-final at GMHBA Stadium.

Geelong entered the finals on an 11-game winning streak, having lost only to reigning premier North Melbourne in round one, before Melbourne ended that run with a four-point qualifying final win.

The Cats had a chance to steal victory when forward Chloe Scheer marked 15m out directly in front, but her set shot drifted right with 15 seconds remaining.

Sydney expects a fierce response from the Cats, but McEvoy hopes the loss has created an opening for her side.

"I hope they are a little bit rattled, but Geelong is very experienced," she told reporters this week.

"We know they're going to be hard to beat at GMHBA (Stadium) as well. To play Geelong in Geelong is always a tough game. We did it last year, and I feel like the girls know the teams don't look too dissimilar to last year, so we'll take a bit of confidence from that.

"They obviously have been playing great football, but probably similar to the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had that loss before us on the weekend. We're hoping Geelong maybe has just a little dent in their confidence, but they've got experienced players, and someone like Nina Morrison won't allow that at all."

Sydney advanced to the semi-final with a 29-point win over the Western Bulldogs in wet and windy conditions at Henson Park.

McEvoy believes the victory was Sydney's most consistent performance of the season, providing a strong platform for this weekend's knockout final.

"(Consistency's) been the challenge for us each and every game. So, to finally have that over a couple of quarters is nice to play," she said.

"It's a great platform heading into next week. It doesn't get more pressure than what's set, so it definitely raises the bar."

McEvoy said Sydney's preparation for finals pressure began a week earlier in its regular-season finale against Fremantle.

"As far as the game against Fremantle, it kind of set us up really well," she said.

"That was probably as close as you could get to a final without it being an actual final. So, we felt like we'd put ourselves in that environment already.

"The basis of our game is kind of built on contest and pressure. I knew that if we just focused on that, we'd be okay. So, running out, you obviously know it's a final, but for the girls, I think it was just like, 'Hey, let's just do what we do best,' which is our pressure game. And we felt like we brought that to the footy."

While contest and pressure remain the foundations of Sydney's game, the Swans have also shown a willingness to adapt to their opposition, with League-leading goalkicker Chloe Molloy spending time in defence against the Bulldogs.

"Every game that we've played, there's been sort of a slight tweaking of plans depending on who we come up against," McEvoy said.

The semi-final will be Sydney and Geelong's first meeting this season, adding another layer of uncertainty. While McEvoy said the situation "keeps it interesting", she would ultimately prefer every team to play each other once.

"You play everyone once, you kind of know where you sit, and you get a really good picture," she said, adding that a full fixture would "strengthen the integrity of the competition."

"I suppose that's the beauty of the competition at the moment, though. It's up in the air, and they're probably not sure what to expect from us, and we're not sure what to expect from them."

Saturday's game could also decide the $1 million McClelland Trophy, which rewards the best-performed club across the AFL and AFLW seasons, with $500,000 of the prize shared among the winning club's playing groups.

A Sydney win, combined with Carlton beating Hawthorn, would secure the trophy for the Swans, while the Cats are also firmly in contention.

McEvoy said Sydney was embracing the extra pressure of the McClelland Trophy race.

"A couple of girls have been talking about it a little bit," she said.

"To put ourselves in this position is obviously awesome. If we were able to get it done, it would be massive for us as a football club.

"The boys also had an outstanding season in terms of their win-loss record, and there's no doubt that some of the girls are talking about it. We'll embrace it. It's obviously a big day for the finals, but also for that reason as well. I don't think we'll shy away from it. We'll take it on and see what we can do."

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