Sydney Swans VFL coach Jeremy Laidler has been impressed with how the playing group have launched into pre-season and says get the most out of the training sessions alongside the AFL squad.

With pre-season ramping up and the squad immersing themselves into the program as much as possible, Laidler wants to see his players build a strong connection with the AFL squad. 

An added bonus is having a vast majority of VFL-listed players return for the 2022 season, which now puts them in the best position possible to build on the foundations they made last year.

"2021 was pretty interrupted with the VFL season being cancelled due to Covid, but we kept a majority of the core group together which was really pleasing," he said.

"We tried to start their 2022 pre-season a little earlier given there wasn't much sport on in NSW. They're with the AFL squad two to three times a week and they have come back in really good shape and got on the front foot early.

"Once they got into training we could mainly focus on their skills and our game plan, rather than trying to get them up to speed with the fitness of the AFL squad.

"That was really beneficial and they're taking part in most of the training sessions, including our game simulation drills, which has been really good."

While enhancing the professional development of the playing squad is a priority for Laidler, helping players build trust with the AFL squad also forms as a primary focus. Being able to train collectively as a group will also give them the best chance of learning and becoming better footballers.

The more consistently they are training together, the better it will be when they play alongside each other during the season, and Laidler has lauded the efforts of both playing groups in making that possible throughout pre-season. 

"We really want to try and build that connection between the AFL and VFL squad so on game day there is a lot of trust between the two playing groups," he said.

"We got a fair bit of experience and we only lost a couple of players from the VFL squad. We have kept a really strong core together with the likes of Adam Gulden, Jake Bartholomaeus and Harry Morrison who have come back in really good shape.

"They're a really good group and we don't really need to teach them game plan stuff, although we do re-visit it.

We just need to get them out on the training track as much as they can, because that is where they will learn the most and learn from the experience of the AFL guys."

The 2021 season presented a multitude of challenges for Laidler and the VFL program, with the playing squad having to adapt to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. It included players and coaching staff having to isolate in Newcastle before venturing to Victoria to join the rest of the club in the Hub, while also week-to-week changes to the fixture that saw local players having to play in the VFL squad.

While the roller coaster campaign helped build resilience and a 'whatever it takes' attitude, it also helped Laidler understand how he can get the best out of his players.

He prides himself on being able to make the players the best possible footballers they can be.

"I learned a fair bit as a coach. It was a bit of a juggling act as it was my first year coaching VFL and then it went pear shaped with Covid," he said.

"So I learned a bit on how the program runs and how we could best fit the playing group into the AFL program as much as we can.

Then having our own time to really simplify things and teach them at the same time, because I really want to develop the VFL guys as much as I can.

"Whether it's getting them on a list or just developing them as much as we can, and help them being really strong state league players, because they all want to keep improving, which is awesome.

"We got a really good balance of youth and senior players in that VFL squad so that will really help."

2022 VFL SQUAD