GIANTS onballer Emma Swanson knows close losses count for nothing as her side prepares to head south for Sunday's NAB AFL Women’s clash against Collingwood. 

The GIANTS have shown a bit in the opening two rounds of the season, despite losses to Carlton last Friday (by 21 points) and Melbourne (six points) in the opening round. 

This weekend's clash at Olympic Park Oval looms as season-defining for both winless clubs, with the loser's finals hopes all but snuffed out. 

"A close loss isn't really good enough for us," Swanson said.

"People are saying we're coming out and playing better than we did last year, but that's not really good enough. 

"We're here to win games of footy now."

Swanson, who is in the GIANTS’ leadership group, returned from a foot injury in round two to gather 11 disposals against the Blues on a stormy night in Sydney.

A near-capacity crowd of 4,952 packed into Drummoyne Oval for the clash, which had to be delayed for 20 minutes at quarter-time due to an electrical storm. 

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"When the delay happened, I thought it was going to be the team that came out better [when play restarted] that was going to win," Swanson said. 

"I thought we were on and that we had handled it really well. 

"Obviously, they just got over the top of us. We didn't handle it as well as we probably could have." 

Onballer Courtney Gum's performance was one positive the GAINTS could take out of the defeat.

The 36-year-old was a standout on debut in round one, and backed that effort up with 16 touches and eight tackles against the Blues.

"She's an older girl…and she's very level-headed," Swanson said.

"She certainly helps the younger girls in the team, myself included.

"She's the best contested [ball] winner we've got. For us to have someone to look up to and watch the way she does things is really good."