Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh has lauded his side’s resilience and self-belief following their stunning six-point victory over Geelong last night.

Speaking at this morning’s recovery session at Bondi Beach, McVeigh was impressed with the team’s ability to never give up when the Cats threated to steal the match in the final minutes of the game.

After leading by six goals at quarter-time, the reigning premiers hit back in typical fashion to take the lead with just 90 seconds remaining on the clock.

That was until a perfectly weighted Alex Johnson pass and subsequent 50 metre set shot goal on a tough angle by Andrejs Everitt gave the Swans a memorable six-point victory.

“We don’t like to give up a lead but in saying that to be seven goals (to one goal) up against the reigning premiers in the first quarter is a real credit to the boys,” McVeigh said.

“They did come back but to hold on in the end and show some resilience was something we’ll take out of the game.

“After the bye, you want to put in a good performance at home against a team we’ve got a lot of respect for, so to come out the way we did and play the way we did, we’re just really happy with our performance.

“They got in front in the end but then we showed a bit to got over the line.”

The Swans now sit on top of the AFL ladder - which may change following the Collingwood-West Coast match this afternoon - after winning their ninth game from 12 matches this season.

McVeigh said a lot of the side’s improvement this year can be contributed to the development in the team’s younger players.

“We’re a bit more experienced now, a lot of the young guys we’ve seen coming through - Reidy, Hannebery, Parker and the likes - have all had that couple of years’ experience now,” he said.

“They know how the game is being played now, they’re a lot smarter out on the field and also Jetta as well has been playing really well.

“We’ve got a lot of faith in the group, our game plan and the coaching staff. We’re all improving and we’re really happy with the way we’re going.”

The Swans now face GWS in the second Sydney Derby at ANZ Stadium this Saturday, June 30.

McVeigh said GWS has come a long way since they first played them in the opening round of the season.

“It’s going to be a tough game, they’ve really improved throughout the whole year,” he said.

“From round one, when we played them, they’ve been in a lot of games and could probably have won a lot of games … but they’re a really good team at the moment.

“They don’t have the wins on the board but they’re hard at the footy which is a really good trait to have as a young team.

“We get a good rest now and then we’ll be on our game for Saturday night - hopefully there will be a big crowd for us as well.”

Tickets to the Sydney Derby II can be purchased here.