THE SYDNEY Swans have been the great recyclers of the AFL, turning journeymen into stars and nonentities into better-than-solid citizens.

Craig Bolton, late of the Brisbane Lions, was one of the real success stories over 170 games for the Swans, but he could manage only five matches last season and none in 2011 before injury ended his career.

Daniel Bradshaw, forced from the northern outpost by the advent of Brendan Fevola, was to be the replacement for Barry Hall - himself a recycling success VISY would have been proud of - but he, too, was unable to get on the park this year after just nine matches in 2010.

They were, as coach John Longmire lamented after the 36-point loss to Hawthorn in Friday night's second semi-final, meant to be the bookends for the team this season.

Bradshaw's absence allowed Sam Reid to become the main marking target in the Swans' forward line - but it also forced him to take on that role. At just 19 years of age, it asked an awful lot of someone who had one match to his name before this season.

Reid was manful all year, his contested marking a revelation and his kicking a lottery, but on Friday night he ran into a backline that constantly double- and triple-teamed him and was led by a defender in rare form.

Of Josh Gibson's 21 spoils, a good proportion would have been against the young Swan.

Reid marked just twice, both uncontested, even though he was the target - or so it seemed - of every Swans forward thrust, especially in the first half.

Bolton's departure saw the emergence of Alex Johnson as a defender, the Oakleigh Charger taken at 57 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft an unlikely virtual ever-present on the backline.

The Swans' 2011 campaign saw stalwarts such as Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh, Ryan O'Keefe and Martin Mattner again at the heart of things.

Josh Kennedy, another miracle of recycling, managed 35 possessions against the Hawks, his first AFL team and one that still must have a hold on a decent portion of his heart given his family history.

Twenty-five of those were contested, to go with nine clearances and a critical role in the third-quarter revival that had everyone speculating about a stunning upset, even though the Swans never got closer than three goals.

Gary Rohan was quiet, but one brilliant mark showed the potential he possesses after two injury-interrupted seasons.

Luke Parker was lively when he replaced Daniel Hannebery, whose shoulder dislocated grotesquely again. At No.40 in last season's draft, he also looks a steal.

Longmire's puzzle is how to strengthen both ends of the ground in a compromised draft.

After the match he was loath to discuss how busy the Swans might be in trade week - it was, after all, just 40 minutes after losing a semi-final - but seemed largely resigned to finding improvement from within.

It will have to come from the likes of Jed Lamb, who has had an injury-cursed first season with the Swans and has yet to debut, Trent Dennis-Lane, Jesse White, Lewis Johnston and Lewis Jetta.

Some seem to have fallen by the wayside - Mike Pyke, Mark Seaby, Paul Bevan, Nick Malceski - and Tadhg Kennelly's wonderful career has come to an end. The jig, as they say, is up.

In the wash-up the Swans have, as always, punched above their weight and scrapped and fought their way into another finals series.

They need an injection of class from somewhere to be able to go that little bit further.

It will be hard to find in the Greater Western Sydney era, but you can guarantee that the Swans will be digging through the wheelie bins to find a gem discarded by someone wealthier and perhaps just a little careless.