No side has played more players than Sydney with 35 Swans pulling on the red and white in the first seven rounds compared to 32 at North.

A surprising 1-6 start to the year hasn’t stopped the side from unearthing a number of promising cygnets, many of whom will be on display against the Roos on Sunday.

Only two Swans have kicked more goals this season than 18-year-old Will Hayward. Selected with pick 21 in the 2016 National Draft, the 185 centimetre forward has played each of the last six games, proving a valuable foil to Lance Franklin and Sam Reid.

Sydney’s first choice at last year’s draft, Oliver Florent, has also seen plenty of game time. The 18-year-old will likely develop into a top-line midfielder with more time in the AFL system, and has already played five games this season.

Alongside Hayward and Florent has been numerous players still finding their way. Last Sunday against Brisbane it had seven players under 30 AFL games; only two clubs had more over the entire weekend.

With such a young side, it’s meant other Swans have taken on extra responsibility early in their careers – Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills among them.

Mills is only in his second season, yet his importance to Sydney already was demonstrated when he faced Carlton in Round 6.

The Blues made a point of targeting Mills to take him out of the game; the sort of attention that only the best players on each team receive.

While Heeney has been impressive in his three games this season – averaging 21 disposals a game – he has had to deal with an interrupted pre-season, missing the first four weeks while recovering from glandular fever.

It’s been symptomatic of Sydney’s season as a whole, having to deal with missed games from key players.

Dane Rampe (six games missed), Jarrad McVeigh (six games missed), Gary Rohan (five games missed), Jeremy Laidler (four games missed), Heeney (four games missed), Kurt Tippett (four games missed), Tom Papley (three games missed), Sam Naismith (three games missed) and Kieren Jack (two games missed) have all been unavailable for multiple matches.

However the majority of injuries on Sydney’s list are short-term, with Tippett, Rohan, Jack, Naismith and company all close to returning.

The games pumped into the young Swans will be able to fast track their development, leading to a quick rise back up the ladder and improved depth with more players now capable at AFL level.