BEN McGlynn was bitter for a long time, and few could blame him.

When the Sydney Swans won the 2012 premiership by upsetting Hawthorn, his former club, McGlynn played 22 of a possible 25 games for the season, and kicked 30 goals as a small forward.

But when his hamstring gave way in the Swans' qualifying final win over the Crows in Adelaide, McGlynn's flag dream vanished.

He got his chance at redemption two years later, but his old teammates thumped the Swans by 63 points.

Standing on the SCG ahead of this week's Grand Final against the Western Bulldogs, the veteran was refreshingly honest, telling AFL.com.au that the bitterness and anger that engulfed him after 2012 had infested all aspects of his life in an unhealthy way.

"I tried to bottle it up for a long time and push it to the side, but it really started to affect me, not just as a footy player, but as a person outside of football," he said.

"I guess the main thing is you don't want things like that affecting the people around you.

"I spoke to our sports psychologist at the club and we put some things in place to help me.

"It's all about being present in the moment and not thinking too far ahead, but also not thinking too far back as well.

"The pain is still there and I don't think that will ever leave me, but I try not to think about it too much.

"It's in the past and I can't change it, I can only control what I do today, and tomorrow, and each time I have a contest in a game."

Hamstring and calf problems ruined the 2015 season for McGlynn and carried into this year until he worked his way back into the senior side and re-established himself as a valuable member of coach John Longmire's team.

But with Isaac Heeney and Gary Rohan in red hot form, and the emergence of youngsters Tom Papley and George Hewett, small forward spots became tough to secure, and when McGlynn was dropped after the Swans' round 17 loss to Hawthorn and spent four weeks languishing in the NEAFL, he admitted to thinking he was done for the year.

"It definitely crossed my mind," he said.

"I knew we had a great squad this year and had the potential to go deep into the finals, so to be out of the team at the back end of the season is always nerve-racking.

"But I backed myself in, I know my football stands up.

"I knew I could contribute once I got back in, it was just a matter of getting that opportunity.

"I just had to work on some things that I wasn't doing well in the seniors, like being more engaged in the game and giving a bit more energy.

"I was drifting a lot in games, needed to improve my attack on the footy and pressure on the opposition."

McGlynn earned his way back into the side for the Swans' round 22 clash with North Melbourne as a replacement for co-captain Kieren Jack, who rolled his ankle in the club's last session of the week.

A solid display in Tasmania, followed by a five-goal game against Richmond the following week, solidified McGlynn's spot in the 22, and two quality performances by the goalsneak against Adelaide and Geelong showed he'll be a big threat to the Dogs' defenders on Saturday.

McGlynn said while it was nice to finish off his game with some rewards on the scoreboard, his main goal was forward pressure and making life tough for opposition backs.

"The offensive stuff naturally comes off the back of the defensive side of the game," he said.

"It's great to contribute up forward, but I need to just focus on what gets me those goalscoring opportunities.

"There's things our team does in a game that nobody would notice but we value highly within the four walls of the club.

"We identify those moments in games, and if I can have an impact the contest then that's my job."