Jarrad McVeigh’s 325-match career is behind him and the Sydney Swans great is relishing life as a coach.

The 2012 premiership co-captain farewelled the game on a fairytale day in Round 23 last year and was quick to attack his next challenge, taking charge of Sydney’s midfield department alongside Tadhg Kennelly.

McVeigh grinded out 17 pre-seasons as a player and is now nearing the end of his first as a coach – and the dual Club Champion is loving the ride.

“I’ve moved up one level in the building and I’ve got an office, which is a bit different,” McVeigh said with a laugh when asked on SEN what’s changed.

“I’ve now also got a leather seat to sit on.

“But it’s been good. I’ve really enjoyed the pre-season so far and I’m learning so much from the other coaches and our staff as well. It’s been a great learning curve and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming year.”

McVeigh is overseeing a midfield brigade headlined by co-captains Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker, a star midfield duo he played a wealth of footy with.

All three were members of Sydney’s 2012 premiership triumph over Hawthorn, and all three were crucial members of the Swans’ midfield group in McVeigh’s sole All Australian season in 2013.

George Hewett is another Swan who’s now an established member of the club’s midfield group, while Isaac Heeney is influential all over the ground.

There is also a host of other young Swans potentially set for more midfield minutes at the top level in season 2020, including Oliver Florent, Nick Blakey, James Rowbottom, Ryan Clarke, Tom Papley and James Bell.

And Sydney’s first pick five at an AFL Draft since McVeigh in 2002, fleet-footed 19-year-old midfielder Dylan Stephens, is expected to make his senior debut this year.

McVeigh believes the Swans have a promising list.

“We’re a young and enthusiastic group with some great experience as well,” McVeigh said.

“Our young players have played a bit of footy, which is fantastic, and I’m really excited to see what they can produce over the next three or four years. We’ve been training really well in the pre-season and it’s been great to see the young kids come back for another year and see how they’re progressing.

“You need those older players and those great players showing the younger ones how to go about it – and we have exactly that. They’ve all come back in fantastic condition. Bud is unfortunately a bit injured now but when he came back before Christmas it was the best he had looked since probably 2014.

“And then of course with Joey, Parks and Ramps leading the boys – they do what they do every day and they don’t change.”

Less than a month stands between the Swans and their first of two Marsh Community Series games, a clash with cross-city rival GWS at Blacktown International Sportspark on February 29.

They will then travel to Tasmania to face North Melbourne at Kingston Twins Ovals on March 9, before running out for a season-opening match against the Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on March 21.

Sydney broke into two teams for an unofficial 60-minute practice match at Lakeside Oval last Friday in one of the most gruelling sessions on the road to the 2020 campaign.

McVeigh says the Swans are zeroing in on the defensive facet of their game.

“We’ll adjust a few things with our game plan. You have to evolve every year and you have to move forward with the game. We watched the Grand Final in great detail and had a look at what those two teams do well,” McVeigh said.

“We’ve looked at the way teams defend and the way we defend and we’ll have to change some things there. It’ll be nice to have our whole forward line out there with Lance Franklin and Sam Reid and Isaac Heeney and those types, but we’re largely looking at how we can defend a little differently.”