Sydney ‘on edge’ and enjoying it

ONE game shy of the top eight, it’s still cut-throat for born-again Sydney. But Jarrad McVeigh contends the knife-edge campaign has lifted the Swans to new training peaks in their bid to create history.

Unbeaten in the past four games and with seven wins from the past eight after Friday night’s 35-point belting of Melbourne at the MCG, the 2012 premiers are back in contention for the 2017 flag.

But there’s little room for error in the last eight weeks, starting with Gold Coast at the SCG on Saturday.

“We’re on edge. I think you have to be,” McVeigh said. “It’s well documented that our start wasn’t great. We’ve pulled that back to an even ledger now (7-7 win-loss record), but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.

“But we’re training at a high level and trying to put that into practice game day, so to be on edge is good.”

Not since North Melbourne won the 1975 flag has a team recovered from a 0-4 or worse start to make the finals.

To make September off a 0-6 start — the Swans’ worst in 24 years — would be a great feat, even for a team that has made the past six finals.