TONY Lockett, the game's greatest goalkicker and one of its finest full-forwards, has added his voice to the criticism of the new hands-in-the-back rule.

The former St Kilda and Sydney player - who famously kicked the Swans into the 1996 grand final with a behind after the siren and who retired in 2002 with 1360 goals - said the rule made life too tough for defenders.

"For mine it's not a good rule," Lockett said last night. "A contest between a forward and a back should be a contest and I think they have taken a fair bit out of that. It makes it very hard on a backman to put enough physical pressure on a forward - it's great for the forwards - but I just think if two blokes are going for it, it should be left at that."

Lockett was speaking on his return to the SCG for a kicking clinic with under-12s from the Greater Sydney Junior competition. While it was only the second time he had been back at the ground since his retirement, he was happy to make the trip from the Southern Highlands.

"I've always enjoyed working with the kids, probably more so than the adults," he said. "The kids are the future and it's good to be able to come back and spend a couple of hours. If one kid gets something out of tonight, it's worth having it."

Swans ruckman Peter Everitt - a teammate of Lockett's at St Kilda in 1993-94 - yesterday spoke about his team's form slump, blaming it on a lack of consistent form from the team's midfield.

"Too few guys are playing good, consistent football," Everitt said. "Look at Ryan O'Keefe, Ben Mathews, Leo Barry, Craig Bolton, our four best players - and probably Kirky [Brett Kirk] - and then there's probably eight to 10 who have been so inconsistent this year, it puts us all in a dangerous position. I think the gap between the guys who are playing well and the guys who are out of form is too great.

"And I'm one of those guys who needs to improve over this weekend and coming weeks.

"Most of our on-ballers are the main non-consistent players of the year unfortunately, and it's probably the part that has let us down the most.

"I think I've held their guys pretty reasonably, myself and Jolls [Darren Jolly], but I don't think we've given our on-ballers enough quality ball. We haven't given enough to allow Goodesy [Adam Goodes] and Kirky and these blokes to get free and give Hally [Barry Hall] and these guys a better opportunity. I think our midfield has probably lacked hitting our forward line consistently.

"I think our back line has been great, and they have been under the most pressure, and our forward line hasn't had the opportunities and that's because the midfield isn't getting it in there. As a midfield group with Johnny Longmire [midfield coach], we need to improve."

Some observers believe the Swans' slump can be attributed to an ageing list that is past its best, and the team's absence of hunger. Everitt doesn't agree with either but he knows a loss on Sunday against Port Adelaide would be dire.

"You go 3-5, which no one ever wants to think about, but you put yourself definitely behind the eight ball, and it would be very difficult to get back," he said.

"It's not the end of the season, but you want to be playing some good footy now. If we lost having a crack and doing everything right, you'd say, 'Oh well, we're probably past it'. But we're just not doing everything right which puts us in the situation of having the opportunity to lose."