Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh’s dream to play AFL football was one he always shared with his older brother Mark.

Recruited to the Swans at pick five in the 2002 National Draft, Jarrad followed in the footsteps of Mark, who was drafted to Essendon at pick nine in 1998, and father Tony, who had previously played for Williamstown in the VFA.

Although playing AFL football was not the norm on New South Wales’ Central Coast where the McVeigh boys grew up, it seems the many hours of kick-to-kick in the backyard paid off with Mark finishing with 232 games for Essendon and Jarrad set to play his 200th game for the Sydney Swans against the Brisbane Lions this Sunday.

Speaking ahead of his milestone game, Jarrad said notching up game 200 was another special achievement for a pair a brothers who realised their dreams of playing at the top level.

“(We thought about it) all the time,” Jarrad McVeigh said.

“That was the dream of ours to play AFL, and coming from the Central Coast and not many players playing AFL up there, I’m sure it will be a special moment for my parents and my family to have two boys who have played over 200 games.

“Dad is from Melbourne and he played for Williamstown in the VFA there and he obviously taught my brother and I everything we know and we were always out practicing and we’d have to practice together because there was no-one else to kick the footy with.”

With Mark’s early move to Melbourne, the younger of the McVeigh brothers said the opportunity to stay in New South Wales and reach a significant milestone for the club he grew up following was something very special.

“I followed (Mark) closely and you always want to play with your brother, so in my mind (playing for Essendon) would (have been) a great thing; but looking back, to stay home and be in Sydney and now the way things have panned out, I’m very thankful that I didn’t go to Melbourne or anywhere else and I got to come to the Swans,” Jarrad said.

“To play 200 games at the one club and at the club that I’ve grown up with, is a really special thing for me and I’ll probably look back on it in my career as a great moment.”

While McVeigh is now one of the Swans’ most consistent performers, the 28-year-old admitted that it wasn’t always the case.

Despite playing every game in the 2004 season, McVeigh’s form faltered the following year, which saw the then 20-year-old miss out on selection in the 2005 Grand Final.

The midfielder said missing out on the club’s first premiership success in 72 years was what drove him to become a better player.

“I was a high draft pick and I probably wasn’t living up to (the club’s) expectations and my own, and I wasn’t a consistent AFL player … so I went away and looked in the mirror at myself,” McVeigh said.

“When you’re young you just want to get a game, so I sat down after ’05 and the coaches were really disappointed in me and that really drove me to want to get better.

“I didn’t want to be a mediocre player and play reserves, I wanted to be a really good player and play senior footy and win Grand Finals and that’s what we’re here for.”

Since 2005, McVeigh has averaged 23 games per season, won the Bob Skilton Medal in 2008, was named co-captain of the club at the beginning of 2011, and finally held that elusive Premiership Cup aloft on the dais of the MCG on the last Saturday of September last year.

So far this year, McVeigh is the club’s leading goal kicker with 11, and believes he is now enjoying his best form since joining the club ten years ago.

“I think I’ve probably had my best pre-season running-wise and skill-wise and I’ve really improved in those areas and I think that’s led into a good start to the season and I just really want to continue that form on and really be a consistent player for us,” he said.

“I think this has been my most consistent start to a year, but we’re only five games in, so the really good players play that for the whole year, but I do think I’m playing my best footy that I’ve played for a while.

“I think I’ve improved every year with my performances - a couple of years there were very inconsistent - but over the last couple of years I’ve got better and better and I’m still going to try to continue and do that.”