It’s all about 300 for Jarrad McVeigh tonight as he becomes just the fourth player behind Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton and Michael O’Loughlin to post a games triple century for the Swans.  But other numbers also hold a prominent place in the stellar career of the 32-year-old defender.

26 finals:
McVeigh will play his 27^th final against Geelong tonight, pulling to within one of the club’s most experienced finals player Adam Goodes (28). Jude Bolton (26) is third on the list ahead of Ryan O’Keefe (24). Dan Hannebery, Josh Kennedy and Kieren Jack each will play their 21^st final tonight. 

9 top 10 finishes:
The wonderfully consistent McVeigh has finished in the top 10 in voting for the Bob Skilton Medal no less than nine times. And that was nine years in a row from 2006-15. In addition to winning the coveted club championship twice in 2008 and 2013, he was 4^th in 2010, 5^th three times in 2012, ’14 and ‘15, 6^th in 2009 and 10^th twice in 2006 and 2011.

42 career-best possessions: 
McVeigh has averaged 19.2 possessions per game across 299, but had a day out in the 2013 semi-final against Carlton at Stadium Australia. He had 42 possessions as the Swans won 13.8 (86) to 8.14 (62) despite being out-scored 4.6 to 0.0 in the final quarter. This is the only time he has topped 40 possessions in a game. It wasn’t until his 74^th game in 2007 that he had 20 possessions in a game for the first time, and not until his 107^th game in 2009 that he topped 30 possessions. But in 299 games he has had 156 games of 20 or more possessions, 30 games of 30 or more, and his one 40-possession game which, ironically, was four years ago on 14 September 2013. 

6 career-best goals:  
In 299 games McVeigh has kicked 198 goals to rank equal 23^rd on the club’s all-time goal-kicking list. Only 46 times has he been a multiple goal-kicker, and only 11 times has he kicked three or more goals. He’s had seven threes, three fours, and a career-best six goals in his 99^th game against the Western Bulldogs in Canberra in Round 18, 2008. It was the AFL debut for Patrick Veszpremi and Ryan Brabazon. McVeigh kicked two goals in the first quarter and three in the last to go with 24 disposals and his first three-vote haul in the Brownlow Medal votes, but the Dogs won by 16 points.

53 Brownlow Medal votes:
McVeigh has polled 30 times in the Brownlow Medal to the end of 2016 for a total of 53 votes, and has been in the count 10 years in a row from 2007-16. He’s been judged best afield five times, and has polled votes against every opposition club except Geelong and Richmond. His best years in the medal were in 2009, when 10 votes saw him finish equal 29^th, and in 2013, when 12 votes saw him 27^th.

#5 in the AFL Draft:
McVeigh, born and raised on the central coast of NSW and a product of Pennant Hills FC and the NSW/ACT Rams, was taken by the Swans with selection #5 in the 2002 National Draft. Ahead of him were #1 Brendan Goddard (St Kilda), #2 Daniel Wells (North Melbourne), #3 Jared Brennan (Brisbane) and #4 Tim Walsh (Western Bulldogs). This was after Carlton had been stripped of what would have been the first two picks for salary cap breaches. Completing the first round behind McVeigh were #6 Steven Salopek (Port Adelaide), #7 Andrew Mackie (Geelong), #8 Luke Brennan (Hawthorn), #9 Hamish McIntosh (North Melbourne), #10 Jason Laycock (Essendon), #11 Jason Winderlich (Essendon), #12 Jay Schulz (Richmond), #13 Byron Schemer (Fremantle), #14 Daniel Bell (Melbourne) and #15 Nick Smith (Melbourne). Of the Class of 2002, only #1 pick Goddard, now at Essendon, has beaten McVeigh to 300 games. He’s played 312. Carlton’s Kade Simpson, who was selection #45, has played 286 games. Mackie will play his 279^th this weekend, while Wells finished the season at 253. With Mackie, Geelong’s Tom Lonergan (#23 – 208 games) and Essendon’s Jobe Watson (#40 father/son – 220 games) committed to retirement, Goddard, McVeigh and Wells will be the only players from the 2002 draft still playing in the AFL next year. 

Swans player #1325:
McVeigh debuted for the Swans alongside Paul Bevan on 27 March 2004 in a two-point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba. It was also Jason Ball’s 150^th career game. Bevan was allocated #1324 on the all-time Swans player list on an alphabetical basis ahead of McVeigh, who is #1325. Immediately before them was Lewis Roberts-Thomson (#1323) and immediately after them was NSW/ACT Rams product Aaron Rogers, who was originally drafted by Melbourne at #26 in 2001 and was traded to Sydney in 2003. He played two AFL games for the Swans in 2004 and is now a development coach at the Gold Coast Suns. Since McVeigh and Bevan debuted together 86 players have followed onto the all-time Swans player list. 

#3 guernsey:
McVeigh has worn the #3 jumper in every one of his 299 AFL games. Only two jumper numbers have been worn by the same player more often in club history – games record-holder Adam Goodes wore #37 throughout his entire 372-game career, while Jude Bolton did likewise in #24 for 325 games. Michael O’Loughlin, the Swans’ only other 300-gamer, played his first 11 games in #38 in 1995 before switching in 1996 to #19, which he wore 292 times. Others to play more than 100 games in jumper #3 have been Dale Lewis (180 from 1991-2001), John Austin (140 from 1931-38) and Brian McGovern (118 from 1955-63). Lewis played his first two games in 1990 in jumper #43, and Austin played his first 11 games in #9 in 1930. 

16 different venues:
Across 15 years McVeigh has played at 16 different AFL venues. Of course, Sydney’s home ground at the SCG heads the list with 109 games. Then follows Stadium Australia (43), MCG (40), Docklands (30), Subiaco in Perth (17), Kardinia Park in Geelong (11), Football Park in Adelaide (11), Manuka in Canberra (11), the Gabba in Brisbane (10), Adelaide Oval (5), Carrara on the Gold Coast (5), Sydney Showgrounds (4), Bellerive in Hobart (2), York Park in Launceston (1), Princes Park in Melbourne (1) and Wellington in New Zealand (1). On a state by state basis, he’s played 156 games in NSW, 80 in Victoria, 17 in WA, 16 in SA, 15 in Queensland, 11 in the ACT and three in Tasmania. A game in New Zealand rounds out the tally. 

109 games at the SCG:
McVeigh’s 109 games at the SCG ranks him 8^th in AFL games at the famous venue behind Adam Goodes (143), Michael O’Loughlin (136), Jude Bolton (128), Mark Bayes (125), Daryn Cresswell (123), Paul Kelly (116) and Andrew Dunkley (115). Stuart Maxfield (102), Ryan O’Keefe (102) and Dennis Carroll (100) are the only others to post an AFL ‘ton’ at the SCG 

85 goals at the SCG:
McVeigh ranks 16^th in AFL goals at the SCG behind Tony Lockett (295), Michael O’Loughlin (246), Adam Goodes (190), Barry Hall (176), Warwick Capper (176), Lance Franklin (161), Daryn Cresswell (130), Tony Morwood (117), Barry Mitchell (112), Paul Kelly (108), Dale Lewis (107), Steve Wright (103), Mark Bayes (100), Simon Minton-Connell (94), Ryan O’Keefe (94).

188 wins:
McVeigh has enjoyed a 63.7%-win ratio across his career, with 188 wins, four draws and 107 losses. He has played most often against Hawthorn (26 times), and has a positive win/loss record against every game except Collingwood (5-12), Geelong (8-13) and Hawthorn (12-14). Only once in 14 years he has a negative win/loss record – when he was 8-10 in 2009. He’s had most wins against Brisbane (16) and Carlton (15). Among 2017 AFL players, only Shaun Burgoyne (230), Andrew Mackie (206), Steve Johnson (203), Sam Mitchell (202) and James Kelly (199) have played in more wins.

139 games as captain:
During six seasons in which he was co-captain of the Swans with Adam Goodes (2011-12) and Kieren Jack (2013-16) McVeigh led the side in 139 games. Only Paul Kelly (182) and Bob Skilton (165) have done so more often.

121 teammates:
Since McVeigh first walked into the SCG locker rooms as a shy 17-year-old shortly before Christmas 2002 he’s shared that special space with 120 players who have played at AFL level. And others who didn’t make it. Among current players McVeigh has played most often with veteran defender Heath Grundy. They’ve run out together in red and white 212 times since Grundy debuted in 2006. McVeigh and Kieren Jack have played 207 times together since Jack’s debut in 2007.

3 stayers:
From McVeigh’s first AFL game in 2004 four teammates still play an active role at the club as coaches – Brett Kirk, Stuart Maxfield, Jared Crouch and Nick Davis. Other teammates in his first game were Luke Ablett, Jason Ball, Leo Barry, Paul Bevan, Craig Bolton, Jude Bolton, Nic Fosdike, Adam Goodes, Barry Hall, Heath James, Ben Mathews, Ryan O’Keefe, Michael O’Loughlin, Mark Powell, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Jason Saddington and Paul Williams. 

2 coaches:
Over the remarkable journey that has been McVeigh’s career he has played under only two senior coaches – Paul Roos and John Longmire. He played his first 147 games from 2004-10 under Roos, who had replaced Rodney Eade at the helm late in the 2002 season before McVeigh was drafted, and since 2011 has played 152 games under Longmire, who was an assistant-coach to Roos in McVeigh’s first season at the club in 2003. 

1 namesake:
Among all those players who have shared the Swans journey with McVeigh only one has shared his Christian name, spelt the same way. That was Jarrad Sundqvist. And they never played an AFL game together. Sundqvist, a midfielder from Glenelg in SA, was drafted by the Swans with pick #54 in 2000. He played one game in 2002 before McVeigh arrived, eight games in 2003 when McVeigh learned the ropes during his first season, and missed the entire 2004 season due to a knee injury before being delisted, which was the year McVeigh debuted.