FRESH from a best-on-ground performance in his 99th game, Jarrad McVeigh is justifiably optimistic that Sydney are still capable of September glory despite some horrible recent form.

In one of the best matches of his career, McVeigh booted six goals last week and confirmed his standing as an important figure if the fourth-placed Swans are to wreak the finals havoc like they have in recent years.

Tonight, Sydney tackle Fremantle at the SCG in what shapes as a must-win game if they are to halt the slide that has resulted in four losses in their past five matches. Asked if the mood in the team was reflecting their results, McVeigh said it was anything but the case.

"We're feeling good, actually. We trained well last night and it's a big game for us and we're still in fourth, which is a bonus and we're really looking forward to a big game," McVeigh said yesterday.

"The top three teams are a bit ahead of the rest but we're still working towards and hopefully [we'll] get better and better each game.

"We probably just need to play with confidence and take the game on, which we're probably not doing, and put in a consistent four-quarter effort. That's the main reason why we've been losing."

One distraction emerged on Thursday night when it was revealed several AFL players, including Sydney's Adam Goodes, had been the subject of death threats.

However, McVeigh admitted he wasn't even aware of the story.

"I've never heard of it," he said. "It's the first I've heard and obviously if that happens, it's not great."

Since making his debut in the opening round of 2004, the century milestone has come in rapid time for McVeigh, one of the growing number of local players to have made their way to the game's elite level.

"I suppose you see it at the start of the year and as you play each game you think, 'I'll get there'," he said.

"But, more importantly, this game is a huge one for us. Fremantle have got a lot of good players and they can beat anyone, so it's a very dangerous game and they are a good team."

Happy as he was with his final tally, McVeigh's freakish performance against the Bulldogs last week in Canberra is something he certainly wasn't planning.

"I was just lucky a few times and was in the right spots and got to kick a couple of goals, which was all right, and unfortunately while we didn't win, it was good to get into some form," he said.

"We did take a step forward and we had a few young guys in, which was good. We took the game on for a quarter here or there, then we stopped.

"It's about a consistent effort, being confident, and playing footy."

After being taken by the Swans as a first-round draft pick in 2002, talk began to swirl in the football world that his older brother, Mark, 27, would soon make the move back to Sydney from Essendon so the pair could link up.

While such talk has cooled of late and the younger brother isn't expecting a reunion, he'd still like to see it happen one day.

"Yeah, definitely. It would be good to see him come home and it would always be good to play with your brother," he said.

"He's out of contract this year but if he signs again, I'd say he'd be finished after that, so I don't think it will happen."