Swans looking for more steady show against Lions

Sydney coach Dean Cox won't be relying on another miracle quarter from his Swans to snag a win and is demanding a more consistent performance against two-time defending champions Brisbane.

The Swans started their opening round clash against Carlton in listless fashion but produced a freakish third quarter, featuring six unanswered goals, to bank a 20.12 (132) to 10.9 (69) victory.

Ahead of their match again the Lions on Saturday night at the SCG, Cox said the 20 minute show against Geelong was likely a one-off.

"Kicking 75 points in a quarter? I don't think you'll see that again," Cox said on Tuesday.

"But having said that, I think what we were able to do throughout that quarter was to play some of the brand of football that we want to do a bit more consistently.

"We understand that sides are going to stop it at times, but we've got to stick the course with the way we want to play.

"We get no greater test than this weekend."

Cox was pleased with the defensive effort of his team, with the Swans having 29 more tackles than Carlton, and said they would need more of the same against the Lions, who lost to the Western Bulldogs by five points in opening round.

"That's something that the playing group really spoke about leading into the start of the season - we've got to get back to putting enormous heat on the opposition," Cox said.

"Brisbane are a really high-timing possession team, they control the ball really well and they've added obviously a lot of speed.

"There's not many areas of their game that they're not good at and we need to make sure that the intent is right, right from the outset."

After a shaky start with his former teammates singling him out for plenty of attention, spearhead Charlie Curnow found his feet to slot three second-half goals.

Cox said there was heavy scrutiny on the 29-year-old with his club debut coming against the Blues, and Curnow looked pleased to have that hurdle out of the way.

"I think every player when they play their first game, especially against their old club as well, heightens the week," Cox said.

"He's been really good, he's come in refreshed from the weekend, but also ready to attack now what the rest of the season looks like."

Cox also had plenty of praise for Justin McInerney, with the midfielder tallying career-best figures with 31 disposals and three goals.

"Over the summer as soon as he came back he was really keen to improve all aspects of his game, but his two-way run is as strong as you can get around the competition," Cox said of the 25-year-old.

"So, we needed to make sure that not only, finish with goals this time, but he has a real appetite to get back and support defence as well."