Never before has John Longmire promoted as many rookies to an AFL senior squad in a season as he has done at Sydney in 2013.
But the premiership-winning coach says he’s mightily impressed at the depth the Swans now boast amid a growing injury toll and looming retirements.
Shane Biggs this week became the fourth young blood to be elevated to the senior list in 2013 and, despite missing the cut for Sunday’s clash against Richmond at the SCG, the future bodes well for the midfielder.
Injuries to Adam Goodes (knee), Lewis Roberts-Thomson (knee), Sam Reid (quad) and Lewis Jetta (shin) have helped fast-track Dane Rampe, Brandon Jack and Xavier Richards to the big stage.
And while Longmire said Biggs was a fair way from playing senior football at the start of the season, his consistency in the Swans’ reserves has put him in line to make his AFL debut in the near future.
“There are some quality players out of our line-up and there’s no escaping that fact,” he said.
“But what has transpired this year is that those next group of players who may not have gotten a chance without the injuries, have had a chance.
“They haven’t just played one week and gone out of the team – they’ve been able to play a few weeks and consolidate their spots in the team and add to our depth across the entire squad.
“We think that’s a good thing for this year, but also for future years.”
Longmire said he had been impressed by how quickly his youngest charges have developed their football – including Gary Rohan in his recovery from a broken leg.
“They’ve been able to do that by training hard and really just applying themselves and following the lead of the senior players,” he said.
“We’ve probably got a deeper squad (than last year), but it’s hard to argue if you’re better placed if you’ve got Goodes out of the team and Jetta and Reid.
“There’s a few of those blokes we’ve got, the more mature statesmen of our football club, that are still fantastic contributors and are doing a great job.
“But the facts are that at some point, they’ll be giving the game away.
“You need to keep an eye on the short-term benefit of winning games and the longer-term development of your squad at all times.
“We need to make sure that transition’s as smooth as possible when that time happens.”
The Swans were dealt another blow on Friday when it was revealed Alex Johnson would require a second knee reconstruction.
The defender’s season was already over after having surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament he tore during the pre-season Cup, but an arthroscope showed the repaired ligament had since sustained further damage.
Longmire has named an unchanged team for Sunday’s twilight match for the fourth-placed side that posted a last-round 34-point win over West Coast.
