Hayden McLean has battled a frustrating first season in red and white, but the Sydney Swans colossus believes he produced the best game of his campaign so far on Saturday.

A knee injury has limited the 20-year-old to just seven of a possible 13 games, but he was superb in Saturday’s 47-point win over the Southport Sharks at Blacktown International Sportspark.

McLean, who left the SANFL for the Swans as a pre-season recruit in March, snared a match-high three goals and collected eight marks as Sydney cruised to back-to-back wins.

“I think it’s my best game at the Swans so far. I had a bit of time out with a knee injury so it’s good to be back and finding some form,” McLean told SwansTV.

“It was my fifth game back, I’m feeling a lot better and it’s good to be finding some continuity and playing with the boys again.”

McLean and his teammates will break for a bye this week before returning to Blacktown for a clash with the first-placed Brisbane Lions next Sunday morning.

The Swans are building strong momentum on the back of a 19-point win over the Northern Territory Thunder and Saturday’s victory over the Sharks.

McLean is determined to use his promising display against Southport as a launchpad for the remainder of the season.

“I want to keep working on what I did on the weekend and keep pushing my name forward for AFL selection,” McLean said.

“I want to have a strong end to the season, play finals footy and push my name forward.”