Jai Serong was a welcome addition to the red and white in 2026, playing consistent AFL football for the first time in his career. 

He arrived at the club via a trade with Hawthorn ahead of the 2026 season, following 10 games with the Hawks over three seasons.

Serong said the belief from his teammates and coaches, was a driving force behind his improvement in 2026.

"I think it came from sort of the first meeting I had with the Swans, they were really keen to get me here, and they sort of sold the plan of how I was going to become consistent AFL footballer here," Serong said.

"I think the belief that they've had in me throughout the whole year, and just backed me in to go and do different roles. I played a lot of different positions this year, but I always felt the confidence of the coaching staff to go out and do it."

Arguably one of the club's most underrated performers, Serong was rewarded with the Dennis Carrol Most Improved Award after averaging 18 disposals and five marks in his first 24 appearances. 

His match-winning goal in the dying stages of Sydney's Round 13 victory over St Kilda is amongst some of his biggest moments of the year. 

"It wasn't so much about technical stuff," he said.

"I mean, I did a fair bit of work later in the year, especially with Amon Buchanan, working on some midfield craft stuff when I went inside.

"It's more just the belief and putting a lot of belief in me as a human to go out there and perform, and just felt like I had a lot of support throughout the year from the coaching staff, and they trusted me to go out and get the job done."

Trusted to play wherever the team needed him, the 23-year-old's consistency and selfless approach became hallmarks of his game.

With his first season in the red and white under his belt, Serong said he was optimistic about the years ahead.

"I think as a group, we've got a lot of belief over the last three or four weeks that we can match with the best teams," Serong said.

"We had a lot of young guys coming into the team, and they all performed in big moments, so they should have a lot of belief going into next year, and I think there's a lot of growth still in this team and this list, so I'm excited to get to work over the off-season and pre-season, and we'll be back. 

"I think that's how you win finals, finals are about pressure in contests, and if we can keep that standards high with our ability to play our roles and pressure the opposition, I think that's going to stand up in the biggest games, so I think that'll be hopefully shown early next year."