McVeigh confident of a Swans win

After a career-best 42 touches in last Saturday night’s win over Carlton, Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh could be forgiven for indulging in some self-praise.

The Pennant Hills junior relished the chance to spend more time in the midfield in his side’s semi final victory, but was reluctant to reflect too much on his own performance, instead keen to emphasise the roles played by his teammates.

“I started off there (in the midfield) and I think I play my best footy there but it’s good to go back to the backline and learn a different role through that period, and obviously I played in the midfield on the weekend which I really enjoyed,” said McVeigh.

“You’re more focused on how the game’s panning out and your role for that night so it’s more just about the team and if you’re fortunate to get a bit of the ball then that’s a bonus but it’s more about the team and how we were going about it which I was pleased with.

“It’s not about how much of the ball you get, it’s more about how well those touches are, going to my teammates.”

While no doubt harbouring thoughts of replicating last season’s premiership triumph, the Swans will first have to travel to Perth to take on the in-form Fremantle at Patersons Stadium, arguably one of the most difficult assignments in the AFL.

The Swans know they are in for a tough encounter, but McVeigh was confident that the challenge would bring the best out of his team, as long as they stuck to the hard-running style of football that has served them so well throughout the season.

“We love getting over to Perth early as a group and training over there and spending some quality time with your team mates,” said McVeigh.

“It’s that real mentality where it’s just 22 guys  against a sold-out house every week and I think we really relish that and we’re going to do it again this week.

“I think you’ve got to run hard on that ground, no doubt. Compared to the SCG here it’s a lot different but we try and bring that performance every week, that hard running, and we’re going to have to do it again because the pressure Freo put on is the best in the AFL.

“We feel we’ve got our confidence back and I think  we needed that win on the weekend to get our confidence back and play some good footy, and I think we did that and we’re going to have to go up another level this week.”

In the absence of injured stars Kurt Tippett and Tom Mitchell, McVeigh will be hoping to continue the form that saw him selected in the 22-man All-Australian team that was announced in Melbourne on Monday night.

Despite these key losses, the Central Coast product is confident that the younger players who will step into the side will be able to lift their own performances to a level that can help contribute to a Sydney victory.

“We’ve seen guys come in – Harry Cunningham played really well on the weekend – and Parker played a bit of a different role and played really well. We’ve got full faith with who is out there and that they can do the job, we’re not concerned with who isn’t out there.

“They’ve shown all year that they’ve learnt the structures and know what to do and when they come into the AFL, they’ve shown us that they can do it. They’ve shown us that they can do it in a Semi-Final – the biggest game they’ve played in – and I’m sure they’ll do it again this week.

“They’ve earned the trust of the playing group.”