Sydney coach John Longmire expects nothing less than North Melbourne’s best on Saturday at Blundstone Arena.

With just three victories from their last 11 matches, the Roos now need to win to ensure a spot in the finals.

“We understand that (the situation). We understand that St Kilda were in the same boat last week,” Longmire said.

“At this time of the year, all teams have got something to play for, no matter who you play up against.

“We understand what St Kilda’s mindset was last week, and we’ll understand what North Melbourne’s mindset is this week.

“It’s more about what we can do and what we need to do. We need to be competitive and play a really strong brand of footy as well.”

While Sydney was the first side to defeat North this year, in Round 10, Longmire said Brad Scott's team deserved respect. 

“We know what North Melbourne can do at their best. We’ve played them the last couple of years in finals and their start of the year was absolutely sensational.

“We prepare for their best, and that’s what we expect to have on Saturday.”

The Swans will recall Kurt Tippett for the clash at Blundstone Arena, and after eight games on the sidelines it will be intriguing to see where he spends the majority of his time.

While he got the better of Todd Goldstein in the teams’ last clash, Tippett could be considered in more of a permanent key-forward role as he works his way back from injury. 

"That’s a consideration for us, but we know he's capable of playing in the ruck," he said.

"He's done enough ruck work at training over the past couple of weeks to be able to play there if required.

"Obviously we know the game is going to be another step up, but he just has to play a role.

"Like all our players, he doesn't have to come out and dominate, it's just about playing a role for the team that helps us be competitive."