Sydney superstar Lance Franklin could be forgiven for wondering if he has wandered into an AFL kindergarten as he prepares to play his 250th game.
Just when you thought the already youthful Swans couldn't possibly get any younger, they have.
Jordan Dawson will become the Swans' fifth debutant in three rounds against Collingwood at the SCG on Friday, while Jordan Foote has been called up for just his third senior appearance.
Jeremy Laidler and Harry Cunningham were omitted, while Callum Sinclair pipped another potential debutant, Darcy Cameron, for the ruck spot vacated by the injured Kurt Tippett.
The selection changes leave the Swans 282 games lighter in experience than last week, when they fielded three debutants in the grand final rematch against the Western Bulldogs.
South Australian utility Dawson, who will turn 20 on Sunday, joins the Swans' class of 2017 which already includes first-round draft pick Oliver Florent, who played in their first two games and Will Hayward, Robbie Fox and Nic Newman, each of whom made their senior bow in round two.
All up, nine of the side have played 15 or fewer games, and 13 have yet to make it to 50 appearances.
Only one man in the team, Jake Lloyd, falls into the category of having played between 50 and 99 games.
Fortunately for Franklin and Swans supporters, Friday's side still contains a strong nucleus of veteran hardheads.
The team includes seven members of their 2012 premiership-winning combination in Heath Grundy (215 games), Kieren Jack (212) Josh Kennedy (185), Dan Hannebery (172), Nick Smith (169), Luke Parker (129) and newly-minted centurion Sam Reid.
But three rounds into the season only 12 of the 22 men who represented Sydney in last year's grand final are in Friday's side.
Injuries have robbed them of Jarrad McVeigh, Isaac Heeney, Gary Rohan, Dane Rampe, Tom Papley and Tippett, while Laidler was dropped and Tom Mitchell, Ben McGlynn and Xavier Richards are no longer at the club.
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