Sydney Swans utility Dean Towers says his team must learn from their disastrous start in 2017 and get off to a good start this season.
The club began the season 0-6 and looked a far cry from the side who lost the 2016 AFL grand final to the Western Bulldogs.
The bloods bounced back though, stringing together 14 wins from their final 16 regular season games before being obliterated by Geelong in the semi-finals.
The Swans will travel to Perth's new Optus Stadium in the first AFL home and away match at the venue when they face the West Coast Eagles on Sunday.
MORE: The AFL names its top 50 most influential 'movers and shapers' | The AFL Rover's early word on round one teams: Don't expect Cyril to play
It's the beginning of a tough start to the season for Sydney as they face a new-look Power side, premiership favourites GWS, runners-up Adelaide and a Geelong line-up featuring prodigal son Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield.
Towers told the Big Sports Breakfast the club have to begin 2018 positively after an improved pre-season.
"Definitely, we want to be able to come out and play our style of footy from round one rather than take several weeks to get going," Towers said.
"I think every year pre-season evolves a little bit.
"We look at things we want to improve on and then they incorporate that into pre-season and it can hopefully have an effect at the start of the year but for the whole year as well."
Towers also hinted he will feature in the ruck at various points throughout the season after the club were left searching for ruckmen after their ruck stocks were decimated in the off-season.
The club lost Kurt Tippett to retirement after the former star failed to recover from persistent injury battles while Sam Naismith was ruled out for the season afte rupturing his ACL.
"We've got two big boys, Callum Sinclair and Darcy Cameron," Towers said.
"Darcy's played a bit in the JLT and Sincs (Sinclair) has played some really good football for us in the ruck and even I come in and help out every now and then as a pinch-hit whenever those boys need a break.
"I dare say it'll be down to us three most of the season."
The Eagles also named ruckman Nic Naitanui to return to football after spending almost 600 days away from the game with a knee injury.
Sydney will be without star midfielder Dan Hannebery who failed to recover from a calf injury.
Towers will celebrate a milestone of his own in round one with the Swans utility to bring up 50 games for the club.
