IT WAS one of the biggest selection calls of 2025, and Jake Lloyd concedes his axing from Sydney's side for the first time in a decade was one he didn't see coming.

A two-time club champion, Lloyd was dropped for the round 15 clash against Port Adelaide as new coach Dean Cox looked to arrest a concerning form dip.

But as flat as the 265-game champion concedes he was at the time, the decision has led to a positional change and a revival in his fortunes.

For so long the Swans' set-up man from the back half, Lloyd was thrown forward by Cox after earning his spot back in the side and he's thrived.

The 31-year-old has kicked six goals across his past three games, including three in the tight win over St Kilda in round 18, while averaging close to 20 possessions a game across that stretch. 

While Lloyd's omission has arguably provided him with the freshen up that his game needed, that's not quite how he saw it at the time.

"It was quite difficult. I mean, it's not what I expected. I didn't see it coming at the time," Lloyd told AFL.com.au this week.

"For me, it was just going back and proving a point to them that they made the wrong decision really. It was, 'How am I going to face adversity and respond?'"

"I went back and the silver lining to it all was I got to play a play a game of footy with my little brother (Matt) which we hadn't done before and just enjoy those moments.

"So, I got back and did what I had to do. And it was great to be back in the AFL team."

As taken aback as he was with the selection call, Lloyd's attitude to the decision was impeccable as he produced a 38-disposal best on ground performance that inspired a huge come from behind win over Southport for the Swans VFL side.

"I couldn't mope around the club because I got dropped, it was about getting to work and getting myself back into this AFL team. That was my mindset pretty quickly," he said.

"I was obviously pretty flat and frustrated knowing I could do a little bit more in the seniors and I probably wasn't hitting my straps consistently each week.

"It was just more about going back there and playing a different position, getting plenty of the ball and look to get my way back in."

While he had proven in the most convincing way possible that the Swans were better off with him in their top-tier team than out of it, Lloyd wouldn't return to the same area of the field.

The Swans were crying out for some more leadership and class in their front half and it's a role Lloyd has delivered in enormously over the last three weeks.

"It's been different. I haven't been down forward for 10, 11 years. I sort of started my career out there. But I'm really enjoying the change," Lloyd said.

"He (Cox) just wanted a more senior player that can get up and down the ground, someone that can get back and support our midfield and our defence and he thought my hard two-way run was something that, we needed in that position," Lloyd said.

Along with his impact across half-forward, the Swans form revival has been boosted hugely by return of Errol Gulden.

Along with Lloyd's three goals in the win over the Saints, Gulden provided a late matchwinner to continue his outstanding form after missing the opening 15 rounds.

"To be honest, it doesn't surprise me in a way just, having spent so much time around him and, watch the way he tackled his rehab. He goes above and beyond with everything he does. He leaves no stone unturned," Lloyd said.

"His footy IQ and the way he was able to help out the coaches by being on the bench, it doesn't surprise me but I guess for a kid so young to be able to hit his straps back to the player he was mid last year is very, very impressive.

"He's a superstar, he straightens us up. His ability to obviously use the ball, going forward and break up the defence is important for us."

Gulden's return combined with Lloyd's positional change, Brodie Grundy's surge towards a third All-Australian blazer and several other factors have helped revitalise the Swans' season with four wins from their last five games.

It has kept their faint finals hopes alive, but there's close to no margin for error from here until the end of the season.

"There's an opportunity to do something that's probably never been done before. Momentum in footy is a funny thing and while we're trying not to look too far ahead, the form we're showing over the last few weeks, we're showing we can match it with anyone again," Lloyd said.

"It's a little bit frustrating that early in the year we just weren't consistent enough so when you get to this stage of the season it can be frustrating. We probably let a few games slip, that we'd like to have back, but that's just what it is."

With clashes against Greater Western Sydney, Brisbane and Geelong to come in the run home, the Swans hopes of a flawless charge will receive the sternest of tests.

Saturday's clash with North Melbourne shouldn't sit in that category, but after some tight contests against them in recent years, most notably a fortunate three-point win in 2023, it's a clash the Swans are wary of.

"They're always coming out to compete. On the ladder, they've probably only won a few games, but they've been right in a lot of them the last six or seven weeks," Lloyd said.

"They've got some guns around the midfield as well. The game will be won around the contest and with that pressure factor. They are areas we've been working on the last months to six weeks, so we're really going to have to be strong in that area again."