Sydney's latest ball-magnet Ryan O'Keefe insists the Swans still have a "big chance" of making the AFL finals despite a difficult run home.

The tenth-placed Swans are one win outside the eight after breaking a four-match losing streak with a 15-point win over North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday.

Sydney's next assignment is another SCG engagement on Saturday against Essendon, who are two places and four points above the Swans.

The Swans still have to play six of the top eight teams including pace-setters St Kilda and Geelong, but O'Keefe remained upbeat about their prospects of booking a seventh straight finals campaign.

"I think we are still a big chance," O'Keefe told a press conference at the SCG on Monday.

we've got Essendon at home and have played some really good footy at the SCG.

"We've got a few home games in our run home.

"It's going to be tough. We're going to have to make sure we keep winning, but we've got the confidence and that belief that we're still going to make it."

Sydney shaded the Kangaroos despite missing the firepower of their suspended leading goalkicker Barry Hall.

O'Keefe, a member of Sydney's leadership group, stressed that unit wasn't rushing into any judgment on the volatile forward whose future has been clouded by his latest ban.

"The next month is really important for us and we are really just concentrating on that," O'Keefe said about Hall's position.

"We'll let the two weeks pan out and we will assess it from there."

O'Keefe downplayed his own superb recent form after being switched from his long-standing role on the half-forward flank to the midfield.

He tallied 37 touches against the Kangaroos and has averaged 28 possessions per game since being moved into the midfield.

O'Keefe praised the Sydney coaching staff and veteran midfielders Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton for helping him adjust to his new role.

While 32-year-old Kirk has yet to confirm he will definitely plan on next season, O'Keefe suggested there was no doubt his inspirational co-captain would saddle-up for one more year.

"I assume he's playing, I haven't heard anything else. I think Brett is playing," O'Keefe said.

"I can see he's still got plenty of footy left in him."

O'Keefe said a little extra polish was the factor which enabled Sydney to break its mid-season losing streak.

The 28-year-old midfielder also cited the fine form of Sydney's younger brigade as a key factor in their drought-breaking victory.

He was in no hurry to caution young forward Patrick Veszpremi who attracted much attention for his extravagant celebrations after kicking a goal against the Kangaroos.

"You can't take personalities out of the game. Patty gets excited when he kicks a goal and that's great," O'Keefe said.

"Hopefully he has a lot more celebrations and he kicks a lot more goals.

"I just stick to the stock-standard fist pump."

Midfielder Jarrad McVeigh will have a hamstring injury checked out while his older brother, Essendon's Mark, could also be in doubt for Saturday's game because of a leg injury.

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