No AFL player is breathing easier than Sydney midfielder Jarrad McVeigh this week.

The Swans take on a Geelong side at Skilled Stadium on Saturday that will be without short-priced Brownlow medal favourite Gary Ablett after he strained an adductor muscle against Melbourne last week.

McVeigh almost certainly would have spent time on Ablett and stated the obvious when he said it was a bonus he won't have to try to combat the Cats superstar.

"I guess so, he's the best player in the competition at the moment," McVeigh said prior to training at the SCG.

"That'll be 40 touches and a couple of goals less for their team.

"Obviously you don't wish any injuries on anyone but in saying that we'll take him being out."

Sydney are coming off a scratchy victory over Richmond that was only sealed late in the final quarter.

The Swans looked like romping home when they opened a 27-point halftime lead, but they were unable to put away a struggling Tigers outfit that has just one win for the season.

Sydney ultimately held on for a 19-point win that squared their ledger at 3-3 and continued their trend of winning their home games and losing away in 2009.

And they face a tough task breaking that trend in Geelong.

The last time the two sides met at Skilled Stadium, in round five last year, the Swans were within three points early in the final term before being run over in a 42-point loss.

McVeigh said competing for the full four quarters was Sydney's only chance of recording the upset.

"I think the last quarter last year we really got blown out of the water," he said.

"We were competitive up until then.

"And on the weekend we only played a half of footy against Richmond.

"They were in the game the whole way.

"It's the toughest trip in footy, Geelong in Geelong, so we're looking forward to it.

"We're coming off a win and want to win two in a row."

While McVeigh - who managed to stifle Carlton captain Chris Judd earlier this season - is taking some solace from Ablett's absence, he knows there are no shortage of other gun midfielders he will have to combat.

"They've got a very good list and I'm sure someone will come in who's going to be fighting for a position," he said.

"They've got so many other good midfielders and such a strong team.

"You've got (Jimmy) Bartel, (Joel) Corey, (Joel) Selwood, there's some big names there, so we'll still have our work cut out."

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