Sydney v St Kilda: Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack kick goals in fairytale farewell

Tom Naghten

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Sydney v St Kilda: Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack kick goals in fairytale farewell image

Sydney were able to send retiring favourites Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack out on a high, defeating St Kilda by 45 points at the SCG on Saturday afternoon.

In a big day for the club, with superstar forward Buddy Franklin playing his 300th match, the home crowd were treated to a pair of memorable moments in the final term, McVeigh and Jack both kicking goals.

 

The match, which also gave Sydney fans the chance to farewell fellow retirees Nick Smith and Heath Grundy, had seesawed all day until the Swans rallied in the final term to send their champs out with a resounding win.

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Having missed a set shot to get him off the mark for the year earlier in the match, McVeigh would have been keen to maintain his record of kicking a goal in every season of his career and he made no mistake from the pocket early in the fourth quarter.


After the match, an emotional McVeigh said it was a perfect way to end his 325-game career.

"It's the least work I've done in my career in that quarter trying to get forward and snag one, but what a moment," McVeigh said.

"I don't have any words, it's so overwhelming and I'm so thankful for these guys for the effort they put in... it's a dream come true."

As Sydney ran away with the match, Jack then got his chance, steering one home in the final few minutes to lift the roof off the SCG and prompt a team-wide celebration.


"(Josh Kennedy) said to me 'get out of the back pocket, go forward' so I had to get Tommy McCartin down back," Jack said after the match.

"It's just a really special moment - I'll never forget it. A packed SCG like this today, it's something we'll both never forget.

"We've had some great memories here and this is one of them. Thank you everyone for coming."

Franklin also got in on the act in his milestone game, finishing with four goals as the club ended their season with a win.


Sydney finish the season with an 8-14 record and miss the finals for the first time since 2009, though boasting one of the youngest lists in the competition, the faithful will be hopeful the club aren't at the wrong end of the ladder for too long.

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.