The MCG has become Sydney’s Bermuda Triangle – and their AFL finals hopes depend on whether they can stop vanishing when they enter it.

The Swans haven’t won in their past nine matches at the MCG following a 29-point defeat by Richmond there on Saturday.

Since the 2006 grand final, the Swans have lost 13 of 17 matches there, with one draw and three wins.

Coach John Longmire doesn’t know why.

Nor do his players.

The good news is they don’t have to play any more home-and-away matches there this season.

The bad news is they’ll have to conquer it at some stage should they hope to make an impact on the finals.

“I don’t know. Every time we turn up at the MCG we just don’t play our brand of footy,” Swans forward Ryan O’Keefe said.

“It’s really disappointing. Ever since the grand finals we’ve just collapsed every time we’ve come here.”

Both O’Keefe and Longmire agree the only way to shake the hoodoo is break the hoodoo.

Should the Swans make the top eight at the end of the season, they should get another opportunity.

“I’m sitting here at the moment thinking about it, our players are thinking about it … they’re the facts we can’t escape,” Longmire said.

“The only way you can stop getting asked about it is to win.”