Swans coach John Longmire says he’s hoping the entire team will learn from Jarrad McVeigh’s stint in the hot seat this weekend.
McVeigh will coach the Swans for Saturday’s pre-season clash with Port Adelaide.
The 30-year-old veteran of 266 AFL games is recovering from a knee injury and was set to miss the clash at Blacktown.
Speaking on Melbourne radio station 3AW, Longmire said McVeigh will work closely with the Swans leaders to deliver messages on match day.
“We’re looking for opportunities to increase the learning of our senior players and all of our players across the board – particularly our leadership group and our captains,” Longmire said.
“With Jarrad not playing, we wanted to be able to utilise this as an opportunity for both him and the players to be able to work out the first NAB Cup game and have a real senior role.
“It’s not just about the players, but about the players and the coaches working together to come up with solutions on game day. Ultimately that’s what it’s about – it’s about improvement for all of us.”
McVeigh is hoping to return from injury for round one, when the Swans meet Collingwood in a Saturday night blockbuster at ANZ Stadium.
Longmire says the co-captain could slot straight into the half-back line.
“We think after losing Rhyce Shaw he’d be pretty good across the half-back line,” Longmire said.
“He was All Australian there in 2013; he’s a very smart player who competes really well and joins in well though halfback and changes the angles of the ball movement really well … so all those things add up to a pretty handy player behind the ball.
“Often when you’re playing in the back six you’re the eyes of the whole team and you can see everything unfold before you – if you’ve got a leader in that position it certainly helps.”
