In-form Swans midfielder Jarrad McVeigh knows western Sydney and he doesn't envy the pioneers of the Blacktown-based club set to spring into life as early as the 2011 AFL season.
The Central Coast-raised McVeigh played his junior football with Pennant Hills and has a rare insight into the battles the AFL face in winning over western Sydney.
The hard road the Swans travelled in their first two decades in the harbour city hasn't been lost on him.
The transplanted team endured enormous financial and player problems before finally gaining a genuine foothold among the city's notoriously fickle fans.
However, setting up a second team from scratch in rugby league heartland is another challenge altogether.
McVeigh thought that even with favourable draft picks it would take time for the newly-formed club to be successful.
"The coaches who will be coaching these teams will be trying to create a winning culture and it would obviously be a hard task and you would not envy them," he said.
"It does take time and we will see what happens."
McVeigh's comments should be considered cautionary for the AFL as he's hardly an outspoken person and the tight-knit Sydney playing group has an aversion to strong public comments.
AFL clubs in their infancy in frontier regions have traditionally struggled initially to attract quality players.
The Swans for many years were forced to pay over the odds just to lure middling and injury-prone talent their way.
McVeigh said a great team wasn't formed overnight.
"It does take a lot of time. If you look at a team like Carlton who have had a lot of high draft picks, they are starting to come to the fore but it has taken them a few years," he said.
And the onballer said rugby league's hold in Sydney shouldn't be under-rated.
"Rugby league is quite strong out there. They (the AFL) will do their research but they do not want to go into it underprepared," he said.
And if the western Sydney side is able to overcome all that, then they must be competitive off the field in luring fans from the Swans.
Sydney's officials have been outwardly welcoming of the second team but don't think for one second they haven't been busy safeguarding their corporate interests.
McVeigh says the Swans won't be making room for the new club.
"We will be trying to keep all our supporters if another team does come in," he said.
But tomorrow McVeigh's focus will be squarely on putting one over his brother Mark as the Swans play Essendon at ANZ Stadium.
The brothers have been in red-hot form this season with only a hamstring injury to Mark slowing him down before his return to action this weekend.
"I speak to him every day on the phone. Nothing changes he just tries to get a few secrets off me but I keep my lips sealed," he said with a smile.
"I have only been on him for a couple of minutes here or there but it is just great it is actually quite funny. It is exciting and it is really good for Mum and Dad.
"Not too much gets spoken on the field but there is a few things here or there."
