GIANTS star Heath Shaw believes his side has more on the line than the Sydney Swans in Sunday's crucial derby at Spotless Stadium.

The GIANTS have lost their past two games to Adelaide and Geelong, both on the road, and depending on the results of round 12, could be two games and percentage outside the top four if they lose to their cross-town rivals for the second time this year.

Many saw rounds 9-12 as a litmus test for the GIANTS. They passed the first hurdle with a win over the Western Bulldogs at home to sit third on the ladder, but after a tough fortnight, Leon Cameron's men have slipped to sixth.

Shaw says that GWS need to beat the Swans to prove they belong alongside the best teams in the competition.

"We don't want to lose three in a row any day of the week," the defender said on Thursday.

"The stakes are huge for us, we want to keep in touch with the top four and we need to win against quality opposition.

"Our last three weeks have been against quality opposition and we've done ok, but we haven't got three wins.

"We need to lift our game this week and perform on the big stage."

The GIANTS are 7-4 heading into the Swans clash, the exact same record they carried into round 12 last season, when a maiden finals berth looked on the cards.

That was before a host of long-term injuries to star ruckman Shane Mumford, key defenders Phil Davis and Joel Patfull and midfielders Dylan Shiel and Tom Scully, ruined the second half of the season.

Injuries and personnel aside, Shaw said it was impossible to compare the 2016 team to last year's outfit.

"Where we were last year obviously the wins are the same, but it's a different team," he said.

"We've been a lot more consistent, we've beaten better opposition.

"We've played the (Western) Bulldogs who are up and running, we've played Hawthorn and beaten them on our home deck pretty convincingly, and we take a lot of confidence out of that.

"We've lost the last two games against quality opposition but in previous years, we would have lost by 40-50 points.

"We go into every game thinking we're going to win, and we're going into this week thinking we're going to win."

While the GIANTS’ most experienced heads like Shaw, Mumford, Callan Ward, Ryan Griffen, Steve Johnson and Joel Patfull have played a massive part in the team’s more consistent footy this season, their group of emerging leaders can also take plenty of the credit.

Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel, Josh Kelly, Toby Greene and Lachie Whitfield have all been in outstanding form in 2016, and are all under 23 years of age. 

"This group has matured massively in (the past) six months," Shaw said.

"Maturity means you don't fall in a heap under pressure.

"We've played in some high pressure games so far this year and responded really well.

"That’s a sign of a maturing team and a team that is confident about the way we go about things, and I love to watch that.

"Some of the guys are 21-22 years old but their maturity is beyond their years and they have confidence in what we're doing and where we're going.

"To see these guys taking on leadership roles within the team and stepping up when they need to is great, and that's exciting for an old man sitting in the back pocket."