A SINGLE point stood between Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and the 2006 AFL premiership.

That was West Coast's winning margin six years ago, when McVeigh played his first AFL Grand Final.

The 27-year-old had missed out on selection the season prior when the Swans broke a 72-year premiership drought.

While the likes of Jude Bolton and Adam Goodes have the highs of 2005 to reflect on this week, for McVeigh, Nick Malceski and Ted Richards, there's been no premiership medal to console themselves with since the Eagles' stunning victory.

"Obviously it's very disappointing to lose a Grand Final. You still think about it, and it still hurts," McVeigh said ahead of Saturday's decider against Hawthorn.

"I'm fortunate enough now to get another opportunity and I don't really want to waste that opportunity."

McVeigh has played his part in the Swans' immense development since last season, when they were outclassed by Hawthorn in the second week of the finals.

"Not really we played a few finals last year and we wanted to improve on that," he said when asked if he was surprised by the Swans' sharp rise.

"We've done that, but we're not happy with just making the Grand Final. We want to win it."

Victory won't be easy, but it's certainly not impossible.

The Swans caused a major upset in round five when they downed the Hawks by 37 points in Tasmania.

They also held a 38-point lead in the second quarter of the SCG clash in round 22, in which the visitors masterminded an epic come-from-behind win.

McVeigh said his side must reduce the quality of Lance Franklin's delivery, something they achieved with great success in the preliminary final when Collingwood spearhead Travis Cloke was starved of the ball.

"First and foremost is the pressure around the ball. Obviously they're highly skilled and can hit targets well," he said.

"So if we can pressure those kicks and get some spoils in with our defenders and midfielders - that goes a long way."