Sydney Swans midfielder Ryan O’Keefe capped off a terrific 2012 season with an outstanding finals campaign.

Not only was O’Keefe dominant in the Swans Preliminary Final victory over Collingwood, he showed his ability as a phenomenal ‘big game’ player when he was named the Norm Smith Medallist in the 2012 AFL Grand Final following a 28 possession, 15 tackle performance.

This season, O’Keefe also notched up his 250th game in what was his 12th year at the Swans, and as he told sydneyswans.com.au, he is still striving to get better.

How did you sum up your season in 2012?

It was a pretty good season when you think about it. To come away at the end of the year with a premiership, that’s what all the hard work that started back in November has achieved. It just means all that hard work has paid off, and it’s really satisfying.

What areas has the team improved in this season?

I think our ability just in those tight pressure games just to stick to our game plans and how we wanted to play was great. When teams came at us, to be able to hold them off and then push back showed the maturity of the side and that’s been a big improvement.

As one of the more experienced players in the team, did you offer any advice to the younger guys this season, and who has really stood up?

Obviously as a more senior player you try to pass on all the experience you’ve got to the younger guys and even some of the guys who have been around for a while. I’m always doing that week-in, week-out and to everyone’s credit they’ve all really stood up right through from young guys like Luke Parker, Sam Reid and Lewis Jetta to the middle-age group like Josh Kennedy and Benny McGlynn and these sorts of guys.

How have you viewed your own form this year?

Obviously I started the season a little bit slowly, and I’d like to thank Ted (Richards) for that. I had a bit of a mishap at training so I missed pretty much all of the pre-season games and round 1. It then took me a few games to get my season up and going but I think once that happened I was reasonably happy with my form. To be able to play consistently and do a role that the coaches wanted, and early on in the season I was doing bits and pieces down back and up forward, but I think towards the back end of the year I thought I was really consistent.

As a senior player, how important is it to you to continue to improve?

You always have to strive to get better. What we achieved this year was obviously the pinnacle, but we want to do it again and every team is going to be after us, so we need to make sure that we don’t plateau or stand still, otherwise they’ll catch us, so we’ve got to make sure we keep improving.

What were your most memorable moments from the Grand Final?

Just that feeling when the siren went. Every Grand Final I’ve played in now has been super tight and I think it’s a relief when that siren goes to know that we’d achieved it and to spend that moment with your mates is pretty special and something that you just want to replicate another time.

What did you do when the siren went?

I think Kieren Jack was the first guy I grabbed. There were plenty of hugs and tears and stuff like that, and it was just a great relief to know that all the hard work we put in had paid off.

Have you had a chance to reflect back on your own Grand Final and your Norm Smith Medal honour?

We watched the game and it could have gone to a number of players and I’m pretty lucky and as I said after the game, probably a little bit embarrassed to get it because there were so many terrific efforts. I’m lucky and I’m very humbled to get it, but it could have gone to a number of blokes.

It’s now the off-season, what are your plans?

Just to relax a little bit and obviously enjoy the moment and spend a bit of time with the family and let it all soak in.