The structure of the Sydney midfield group has taken on a different look in recent weeks due to injury.

Still a formidable unit capable of matching any opposition in the competition, the Swans could have easily been sitting back with their feet up this week if it wasn’t for inaccuracy against Fremantle in the qualifiying final.

In the absence of Luke Parker and Kieren Jack – the latter a chance to return this week – more responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Josh Kennedy and Dan Hannebery. During the last fortnight, Kennedy and Hannebery have combined for 136 disposals.

However Tom Mitchell has also stepped up with 65 of his own and it has been he and Kennedy most visible from the centre. The midfielders have been in at 45 and 41 centre bounces respectively, with Mitchell in particular relishing the opportunity for more midfield time.

At 22 years old, Mitchell is enjoying the most consistent patch of his career so far. After bursting onto the scene in 2013, he only played six games in 2014 and was out of the side until Round 5 this year.

Since reclaiming his spot, the Swan has averaged more than 27 disposals a game. He started largely on a wing but as the year has gone on, the role has moved more around the ground in part due to his teammates’ injuries.

Although Hannebery has been at only 27 centre bounces compared to Mitchell and Kennedy in the last fortnight, he has had more than double the centre clearances, demonstrating his undoubted quality. It was one of the many reasons why Ben Jacobs performed his first tagging job on the 24-year-old back in Round 11 at Etihad Stadium.

Hannebery came into that game on the back of a superb four-week spell, averaging more than 34 disposals a game. Jacobs was able to hold him down to 22 disposals, one inside 50 and two clearances - the last two stats his equal lowest totals of 2015.

Sydney will arguably be the first team North has played twice with its best 22 since Jacobs started in his tagging role. It raises a fascinating question over how the matchup will be approached by both sides, given the familiarity of both Jacobs and Hannebery, not to mention how Sydney’s fellow midfielders will now know how and when to give their tagged teammate protection.

While it was Hannebery in hot form the last time the two sides met, heading into Saturday it is undoubtedly Kennedy. The 27-year-old has had 30+ disposals in his last 11 consecutive games, the largest streak since the turn of the century.

“He’s a contested beast,” said Jacobs when talking about Kennedy during the week and it’s backed up by the numbers.

The Swan is far and away the highest contested possession winner of the season, which is just one of the reasons why he’s such a tough matchup. Excluding his injury-affected outing in Round 21 last season, Kennedy is on a 39-game streak of double-digit contested possessions. He was also a key part of Sydney’s preliminary final win last season, registering a team-high eight clearances.

If Kieren Jack returns to the side this week, he’ll take the pressure off the above trio and allow Sydney’s rotations to return to something approaching normal.

However if he doesn’t return, the wildcard in the midfield mix is Adam Goodes. Although the veteran has been a handful for North in front of goals going back a number of years – 22 in his last nine appearances – he spent a lot more time through the centre against Fremantle in the qualifying final.

Goodes had 25 disposals and six score involvements, winding back the clock and looking every bit the player he was in his prime. However with the absence of Reid added to the injury list for this week, it may take too much away from Sydney’s scoring power to leave him on-ball.