The linchpin of the Sydney’s stingy defence isn’t the slightest bit concerned the Swans’ back half isn’t getting the plaudits of their much publicised forward line.

Sydney booked their second AFL grand final appearance in three seasons with a crushing 71-point thrashing of North Melbourne at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.

It was the Swans’ 18th win in their last 20 games.

While forwards Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett and Adam Goodes garnered more headlines after combining for 12 goals, Sydney produced another pressure packed defensive performance.

Courtesy of leading defenders like Ted Richards, they limited the Kangaroos to just 9.11 – their third lowest score of the season.

For all the fuss about their high-powered forward line, Sydney have conceded fewer points than any other team this season.

While a lot of that is attributable to their pressure all over the ground, the consistency of key defenders Richards and Heath Grundy, the efforts of new All-Australian backs Nick Smith and Nick Malceski and the dynamism of Gary Rohan and Dane Rampe has added up to a backline that is proving just as effective as their front half colleagues.

Asked if the defence got the recognition they deserved Richards said: “Seriously I don’t care about that, we’re just happy doing our thing down back.

“But in saying that, I’m just so excited that we got Nick Malceski and Nick Smith in the All-Australian team because both of those are absolute stars.

“I don’t think they have got the recognition they deserve, particularly Nick Smith. He plays a really under-rated role for us and personally I think it’s great that Nick Smith got a bit of recognition.”

Richards praised Grundy, with whom he has formed a strong key defensive duo over several years.

“Over the years you build a lot of trust and a lot of awareness about where each other are and how we work best together,” Richards said.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for `Reg’ (Grundy) and how much he has helped me over the years.”