Sydney Swans senior coach Dean Cox appeared in his weekly press conference on Friday at captain's run.

On the bye

"Break was good, yeah, so straight off the Richmond gave the players four days off and they sort of had an opportunity to put down the tools for a little bit, sort of physically and mentally, to get ready for a strong three or four days training over the weekend into a normal week. So, you know, to the players credit, they've trained really well over the last 10 days and will need to for tomorrow."

On the return of key players

"Oh, yeah, they're really important for our footy club. I think when you talk Joel ahead of the ball, you know, it's probably been an area that we've been battling with for most parts of the season. And then to bring obviously Errol and Tom back in, they're leaders of our football club.

"The players and what they bring, certainly with energy and also Errol with his hard two-way running, we've missed them throughout the year, but it's great having them back."

On the difference in energy having them back

"Yeah, they've travelled throughout the year, but obviously to know that they can train fully, which they did for the past two weeks, has certainly lifted it. You know, what they provide our football club isn't just the energy, but they're the players who have a real say in what we do on the football field. So, yeah, they've been out for a while, so hopefully they can get back to their best as quickly as possible."

On not relying on them to turn the season around

"I think one thing you don't want to also rely on is getting certain players back to turn your season around. They are important players for our football club, but we want to make sure that we're building a system and the way we play. So, when they do come back, they just add, and hopefully time will tell how quickly they dive back into it, but they've worked extremely hard through their rehab process."

On Jake Lloyd being omitted from the side

"I think when you've got players played as long as he has, unfortunately, now there is some selection issues with returning players. We've made sure that all the players, if they are getting dropped or in that position, that they know exactly why, what they've got to work on, and now they've just got to go to the VFL and get it done. Most players have been there, so it's now just a matter of trying to reset them and get them going."

On what he expects from Port Adelaide

"Yeah, definitely, I think that's what they, generally for the most part, that's what they deliver (high pressure). The last two wins, obviously, against GWS and then Melbourne here at home, to be able to play the way they did and to get their real ascendancy ahead of the ball.  Around the contest and their pressure numbers, as you mentioned, were phenomenal, so we expect that. We always prepare for teams at their best and try and highlight that and to let the players know that's exactly what they're going to do."

On the last time the team played Port at home

"No, I think most of the players are aware of what happened last year, they're aware of that going into the prelim, they're aware of that going into the Round 6 game we played at the SCG. Obviously, different area, same team, different city, but these players have certainly a drive now to make amends for the start of the season and to try and build on an inconsistent first half."

Sydney takes on Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday from 4.15pm AEST. 

Tune in on 7mate, Kayo or Fox Footy live from 4pm.