AS THE new generation of Sydney Swans made the rest of the competition sit up and take notice in the second half of 2009, one of the club's young trailblazers was stranded on the sidelines.

A broken arm forced Brett Meredith to look on as Jesse White, Nick Smith and Dan Hannebery all earned late-season plaudits for their stirring efforts.

But it's worth noting that Meredith earned his senior debut in round two, well before the club started experimenting with its youngsters.

After a troublesome shoulder ruined his first year on the list in 2008, Meredith underlined his promise with an eye-catching performance against Hawthorn.

The former Northern Knights junior strung together seven games from debut, including four wins, before returning to the reserves for a breather.

But just a quarter into his first game back in the Canberra league, Meredith's good fortune evaporated.

A badly broken arm derailed his season and his subsequent decision to get his shoulder reconstructed finished it off completely.

Meredith told sydneyswans.com.au that his injury setbacks had hardened his resolve to become a regular contributor at AFL level.

"It was pretty shattering, particularly going back to the reserves for one game and just playing a quarter and breaking my arm," he said.

"I could have probably come back at the end of the year and played a couple of games but I decided to get my shoulder reconstructed as well.

"I'm just focused on getting out on the track and playing more games than I did in both the first year and the second year.

"I've put it behind me now and I'll look towards 2010 and hopefully have a big year."

Meredith said his arm and shoulder had survived the first half of pre-season without any mishaps, as he worked on increasing his fitness.

With an eye on a place in the Swans' midfield alongside Brett Kirk, Ryan O'Keefe and Jude Bolton, Meredith was under no illusion as to the level he needed to reach.

"I played mostly through half-forward and the forward pocket last year, but hopefully next year I can move into the midfield and cement a spot there," he said.

"I'll probably start off across half-forward again and look to move into the middle from there.

"I've got to keep working on my fitness to get into the midfield. That's the main thing the coaches have been telling me to work on."

Running countless laps of Lakeside Oval has afforded Meredith the chance to get acquainted with the club's raft of new draftees.

With 12 new faces among the 15 changes to the squad, the 20-year-old said there was a different feeling among the players.

"I've been running with a few of the young blokes and they’re looking pretty good, pretty fit. It’s hard to learn a few of the names though," he said with a laugh.

"There are about 15 new blokes at the club and a lot of older blokes as well who have come in. It's been good to have some fresh faces around the place; it's a different feel and a different look."