Swans midfielder Brett Meredith will make his return to senior football in Sunday’s crunch game against Richmond at the MCG.

Coach John Longmire says Meredith will feature in his side for the first time since he was the starting substitute in the Swans five-point win over Essendon in round two.

Meredith had been on the verge of being recalled for several weeks but had struggled to overcome groin and hamstring tightness.

“We were keen to get him back in the team,” Longmire said.

“He’s been thereabouts for a number of weeks and he’s just had a couple of hamstring/groin niggles and we haven’t been able to get him in the team. His last couple of weeks (in the reserves) have been pretty good.”

Co-captain Jarrad McVeigh, who missed last week’s game against Essendon because his newborn daughter Luella is unwell, was also named in the final 22-man team to take on Richmond, while Trent Dennis-Lane was omitted.

However Longmire said this morning that McVeigh would be given until Saturday to decide whether he was able to make the trip to Melbourne.

“Jarrad McVeigh is one who will come back in if everything is ok, but we won’t know until this stage tomorrow,” he said.

“He’s done all the training, and come to all the meetings, and he really wants to play this week so we’ll give him every chance.

“The real key is that it’s important for us as a football Club to give Macca as much time and space as he needs, as well as also focusing on the footy.

“If he declares himself ready to play, he’ll be 100 per cent ready to go and we won’t have any hesitation in playing him.”

The emergencies for Sunday’s game against the Tigers are Bevan, Dennis-Lane and Mark Seaby.

Click here to see both teams' starting 22.

Longmire said he was looking forward to seeing how his playing group responds in the wake of last week’s nail-biting one-point loss to Essendon, in particular how his crop of youngsters rebound from the setback.

“It is a real challenge for us this week to make sure we get up pretty quickly,” Longmire said.

“We’re really confident (because) our senior players have been through it a number of times and they know how to bounce back pretty quickly.

“I think it’s exciting now that our younger players get exposed to that and to see how Sam Reid, (Luke) Parker, (Lewis) Jetta, Dan Hannebery, respond after the disappointment of last week.

“I’m confident they will be fine.”

The Swans will take to the MCG for the first time since drawing with Melbourne in round one, and will be looking for just their second win at the ground from the last 13 attempts.

“We have to win this week,” Longmire said. “We were disappointed in the way we went about it last year down there (in the four-point loss to Richmond at the MCG in round 14).

“They’re a team that’s young and on the rise, and they’re keen to get back home in front of the Richmond faithful and play well, but there’s a lot at stake for us.”