Sydney is more of an AFL city than it ever has been, but the Swans remain predominantly a band of interstate migrants drawn from across Australia.

For the most part, they’re forced to relocate to the big smoke after being drafted as teenagers.

It’s generally a shock to the system, as shown by Greater Western Sydney’s decision to house their fresh-faced talent together at the Breakfast Point enclave.

The Swans don’t have the same influx to manage, but the make-up of their grand final side shows how well they do manage.

Luke Parker, Alex Johnson, Daniel Hannebery, Sam Reid and Lewis Jetta are young men of varied backgrounds, but all talents who have found their feet in Sydney despite the absence of their regular support network.

“The great thing about the Swans is that a lot of players are from interstate, so you tend to form quite strong bonds, because they don’t have family or friends or outside influences,” Swans veteran Lewis Roberts-Thomson said this week.

“It’s just your teammates, so you work hard, train hard – and then off the field you form these really strong friendships because you go through so many highs and lows.”

The man entrusted to manage those highs and lows at Sydney is welfare manger Dennis Carroll, a former Swans skipper.

“There is an element of homesickness (with draftees),” Carroll told AAP.

“That’s normal and we take them through workshops that help them deal with it.

“Pretty much everyone that works with the club, be it as a player, administrator or coach, has come from somewhere else.

“So everyone’s experienced that sort of homesickness stuff.”

The Swans’ system is not completely dissimilar to that of the Giants.

“Generally speaking, they’re living in clusters of three,” Carroll said.

“So we have a third or fourth year player, with a second year player and a first year player.

“There’s a house leader and we’ve found it develops leadership and mateship … it develops closer bonds and quicker bonds, and also independence.

“If guys are struggling a bit, they know they’ve got mates there to help them through it.”