AFL veteran Jarrad McVeigh keen to play on

Former Sydney captain Jarrad McVeigh is keen to play on next year, even if it means leaving the AFL club he’s spent almost half his life at.

Talks are ongoing but McVeigh, who comes off contract at the end of this season, is yet to be offered a new deal by the Swans.

Provided Sydney contest at least two finals, McVeigh will next month play his 300th game.

There is every chance the 32-year-old, who grew up on NSW’s Central Coast, will be unsure of his future whenever the Swans’ campaign ends.

McVeigh insists that prospect doesn’t worry him, likewise if coach John Longmire later tells him he is no longer part of the club’s plans for 2018.

“I understand the game of AFL. It is a ruthless business. I have got to perform and there has got to be a spot for me,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“It is a two-way street.

“I have a really strong relationship with everyone at the club and we all know where we stand … I’ve been in constant communication with the club all year and I’m pretty comfortable with where it sits.

“I have always said all year that I want to play on if my body is right and I am playing at a high level, so definitely I want to play on next year.”

McVeigh added there was a “a lot of trust and honesty” in the ongoing discussions between him, Longmire and Swans football manager Tom Harley.

“I don’t think it matters when it is,” McVeigh said, when asked if he’d like the Swans to make a call soon.

McVeigh has only played 10 games this year because of a calf injury but remains one of Sydney’s best users of the ball and will be a crucial part of their push for a premiership.

Former Brisbane captain and three-time premiership forward Alastair Lynch penned an open letter to McVeigh earlier this month, asking him to consider joining the Lions.

McVeigh has also been linked with Greater Western Sydney, where his older brother Mark is an assistant coach.

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