SYDNEY might be flying under heavy pressure, but coach Dean Cox is preaching a "glass half-full" approach to his side's recent string of tight wins.

Over the past three weeks, Sydney has been forced to find new ways to score, grinding out nail-biting victories over Collingwood and North Melbourne by under 10 points, alongside a 17-point win against Narrm. That tactical challenge was especially evident last Friday night when the Magpies successfully blocked the corridor.

Instead of viewing that jittery first half as a definitive blueprint to stop his side, Cox highlighted his team's ability to adapt in-game, noting that tight, contested matches offer crucial opportunities for players to evolve.

"I'm more glass half-full," he told reporters on Thursday.

"To be put into positions where you need to adapt and evolve in-game (is good). One thing we don't want to do is play only one way. We need to make sure our players are aware of what the opposition is giving us, and at any given time, what we can take from them - both with the ball and without it.

"That's what we've been focusing on … and we get a really good test against a great team this week."

To that end, Cox defended the team's recent scoring output under pressure, noting that they train to win in multiple ways. By focusing heavily on all three phases of the game, the Swans ensure they never rely on a single style of football to get over the line.

"Ever since we got back in the summer, we haven't just trained one way, and haven't won only one way," Cox said.

"There are going to be times where we get tested in all facets of our game, and we'll be tested again on Saturday afternoon. It's about trying to identify that as quickly as you can, trying not to force (things), and then trying to get back to playing the way we need to.

"Against Melbourne, we still kicked a decent score, and against Collingwood, for the majority of that game in the wet, we still put up a pretty good score. We're focused on all three phases of our game."

Sydney will travel south this weekend for a top-four clash against Geelong. While GMHBA Stadium is a notorious graveyard for visiting teams, the Swans make the trip boasting a strong three-win, two-loss record at the venue in their last five matches there.

To counter the Cats' home ground advantage, Cox emphasised that matching their contested game is vital, noting that the Swans aim to emulate how Geelong exploits the unique dimensions. 

Acknowledging the hosts' two decades of excellence, Cox stressed that his players are excited for the challenge, knowing that anything less than their best will cost them the four points.

"Their ability to adapt, (to) mix up what they do from a stoppage set-up, and alternate between stability and a bit of chaos is excellent. They've been strong in that," he said.

"They've got a mature team that has played a lot of footy together. So for our playing group, it's about identifying that the pieces will be moving all the time and being aware of it. We've got some plans around how we handle those things, but hopefully, we can give them something to think about as well."

When asked how the Swans plan to handle star defender Tom Stewart - who turned back the clock against Brisbane with 28 disposals, 17 intercept possessions and seven intercept marks - Cox admitted it presents a tactical dilemma. 

He noted the coaching staff are weighing up whether to send a direct tagger to Stewart or employ a defensive forward role to limit his impact.

"We've done it both ways," Cox said. 

"Sides throughout the year have probably tried every way they possibly can on Tom. The best players generally find themselves in the most dangerous spots and play that role for their team, and Tom is no different. It'll be a strong discussion towards the back end of the week about what we do with a number of their players. But part of our philosophy is that if you solely focus on one guy, everyone else will get you. We just need to be aware of their strengths."

With veteran defender Dane Rampe sidelined until after the bye with a calf injury, Cox expressed confidence in his tall trio of Will Edwards, Tom McCartin and Lewis Melican - even against a mobile Geelong forward line featuring Jeremy Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield.

"They play a bit of a different forward line (this week). We'll work our way through that," he said.

"Part of it is as well - the three talls generally aren't on the ground a lot together. They're all playing and doing what we require them to do at the minute. With Dane, we've managed him throughout the year, and he's performed well, but he is 36. We need to make sure that we have a defensive system that works not only with Dane in it."