Sydney Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh will have the final say on whether or not he makes his first appearance of the season in Saturday night's blockbuster against Adelaide.

McVeigh's rehabilitation from the knee surgery he had after the 2015 season has taken longer than expected, and the frustrated star has only joined the Swans' main training group in the last month.

After stepping up his running a fortnight ago the 30-year-old was forced to scale back his training briefly after suffering hamstring tightness, but McVeigh has trained well since that minor setback.

Coach John Longmire joked last month the 2012 premiership midfielder might have to come back through the reserves, but said on Tuesday that McVeigh's selection was entirely in his own hands.

"He's played a lot of football, he understands the importance of the call he makes (about) whether he's right or not," Longmire said.

"A lot of responsibility goes with him because you have a lot of faith what he's able to deliver week in, week out, and how he knows his body.

"He's certainly very close and he's right in the frame, he's an experienced player but we'll make that decision on Thursday."

Spots are hard to come by in the top-of-the-table Swans side, but several players put their hands up for a senior berth in Sydney’s reserves win over Greater Western Sydney last week.

James Rose booted four goals and Dean Towers also hit the scoreboard in the win over the Giants. Midfielder Brandon Jack also slotted three goals in the 18-point win at Blacktown Sportspark.

Untried defenders Aliir Aliir, Nic Newman and Harry Marsh are all in good form, with Irish international rookie Colin O'Riordan also showing plenty in the reserves.