After finishing the home and away season as minor premiers, the Swans hosted two home finals either side of a weekend off and didn’t have to leave the Harbour City in the lead up to this weekend’s decider.
Speaking to media ahead of the Swans’ final training session before the team travels to Melbourne this afternoon, McVeigh said the last month allowed his side to ready themselves for the main event.
“I think it be five weeks that we haven’t left Sydney, and to have two home finals, we built really well in those two games,” he said.
“I thought last week was a really solid performance, but we know it goes up a level this week and we need to get better in this game, but our preparation has been great and our players are in good condition and we’re ready.
“You just want to play well at this time of year and you want your best players out on the park at this time of year, and our medical staff has done a great job there.”
With just two days remaining until the Swans line up on the MCG, McVeigh stressed the importance of knowing when to switch on and off in the lead up to the match.
“You hear about all of the stuff that you’re going to be doing during the week, and we had a really good team meeting this week and we’re ready to really lock in to what we need to do on the weekend,” McVeigh said.
“We’ll get to Melbourne tonight and will have the Parade tomorrow, but we’re fully focused and know what we have to do to win this game of footy, but we also know there’s down time as well, so just to relax when that happens.”
The co-captain also highlighted the need for his team mates to play within their role for the team in Saturday’s huge clash, rather than relying on individual efforts.
“You don’t have to do anything different,” he said.
“It’s just a case of playing whatever you role is for that day, you have to do that and you can’t worry about your own game or be selfish, you have to do whatever it takes for you team mates.
“We all trust each other and we’ve got confidence in our ability.”
McVeigh said sticking to the basics was the message the club’s more experienced players were passing on to their younger team mates this week.
“You need to bring you’re A-game and what you’re good at; it’s all you have to do,” he said.
“You don’t have to go out and kick five or six goals or get 40 touches; it’s just about doing those team things for your mates.”
The Swans will be looking to claim a third premiership in a decade on Saturday afternoon, which is a feat that will certainly please Swans and South Melbourne fans who had to wait more than 70 years leading into 2005.
McVeigh, who grew up on the New South Wales Central Coast, said he understood what a Swans win would mean to those supporters as well as AFL in the state, and backed his side for this weekend’s challenge.
“It means a lot to our supporters,” he said.
“There was a long wait, there was about 72 years for the first one, and then they didn’t have to wait too long for another.
“We get the opportunity to fly the flag for us this weekend and this group of players gets a great opportunity.
“It will mean a lot to the players, but for AFL in NSW it will be huge.
“But there’s two hours of hard work against one of the best teams of the last decade.”
