Feeling the weight of expectation, Sydney coach Dean Cox feels he's better equipped to guide the Swans back to finals.
The Swans will kick off the AFL season against Carlton on Thursday, with Cox boasting an equally stacked line-up in the coaches' box at the SCG.
Off the back of a dismal 2024 grand final defeat to Brisbane, Cox's first year at the helm ended in a 10th-placed finish after an injury-ravaged Swans side paid the price for a poor start.
It was the first time since 2020 that Sydney had missed out on a spot in September.
Cox has since welcomed 2021 Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin as the club's director of coaching and performance, while Jeremy Laidler has returned as an assistant after three seasons at the Giants.
Former Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow is the headline attraction in the on-field changes, with the Swans ruthlessly trading fan favourites Will Hayward and Ollie Florent to secure the dual Coleman Medallist.
"You feel better equipped because it's your second year coaching, you understand what the role entails," Cox said on Wednesday.
"I've been really pleased not only with the acquisitions we have on the field (with players), but also what we've had off it.
"There are expectations from the whole pre-season, but we've got to action some of those expectations now.
"To the playing group, it's about understanding ... we've got to get the work done now.
"There'll be bumps and different things you've got to deal with along the way and we'll make sure we do that."
It was this time last year that the Swans - already without captain Callum Mills and Logan McDonald - were reckoning with the loss of star winger Errol Gulden to a fractured ankle.
This season, Cox has to deal with a selection headache.
Former Hawthorn defender Jai Serong and former Gold Coast forward Malcolm Rosas Jr will also make their club debut on Thursday night.
Attacking mainstay Hayden McLean is unlikely to make the side, with Cox saying he won't need four tall forwards against Carlton after Tom Papley's return from a calf strain.
Braeden Campbell (shin) and Harry Cunningham (quad) are unavailable, while fringe midfielder Taylor Adams will make his return from an achilles tear through the VFL.
"At times that forward line, things will look a little clunky," Cox said.
"But we're early in the year and we have a bigger picture at play that we'll eventually get to."
