AS IT stands, Sydney is in danger of missing the finals for the first time since 2009, which would double as premiership coach John Longmire's first blemish.

That would be an un-Swans-like turn of events, but it's part of the dilemma facing Longmire, football boss Tom Harley and recruiting genius Kinnear Beatson.

Fellow modern powerhouses Hawthorn (2017) and Geelong (2015) went through the same experience in recent years as Sydney before bouncing back quickly.

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Even sneaking into September for a ninth straight year should not change the reality in front of the Swans, who have reached a crossroads with their list.

They still have 18 players out of contract, including Jake Lloyd, Heath Grundy, Jarrad McVeigh, Sam Naismith, Nic Newman, Dean Towers and recovered five-time knee victim Alex Johnson. Kieren Jack is contracted for 2019, while Dan Hannebery has another three seasons after this one, but St Kilda is trying to lure him back to Victoria early on a reported five-year deal.

Neither Jack, 31, nor triple All Australian Hannebery, 27 – who, to be fair, barely had a pre-season – is the player he was in his prime, but the midfield depth behind them is suspect.

Hard-nut Zak Jones is the obvious choice to graduate from half-back and take on a more prominent on-ball role, after attending only 34 centre bounces so far in 2018.

But the jury's out on whether any of NAB AFL Rising Star contender Ollie Florent, untried 2017 first-round pick Matthew Ling, Jordan Dawson or even Ryley Stoddart can become viable inside midfielders.

Is excitement machine Ben Ronke – Beatson's latest rookie-list success story – a long-term midfield option, or is he too valuable as a goalsneak?

And where does young gun Callum Mills fit into the equation? Is he more suited to his defensive role than the midfield?

What Sydney opts to do with McVeigh and Lloyd, who are both being linked to Gold Coast, could make that discussion point moot.

Running defender Jake Lloyd leads the Swans for disposals in 2018. Picture: AFL Photos

Either way, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and emerging star Isaac Heeney need more support, a remarkable development given the luxuries of recent seasons.

The Swans also must make a call on veteran defender Grundy, who is sidelined at the moment for mental health reasons.

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The 32-year-old is a terrific servant and was a key pillar of the 2012 flag, but was dropped recently and there are younger options for his role, such as Lewis Melican and Aliir Aliir.

It might be more prudent to offer greater opportunity to key defensive prospect Jack Maibaum, who hasn't played an AFL game since being drafted at No.45 in 2016, if they feel he has made progress.

All Australians Dane Rampe, 28, and Nick Smith, 30, remain high performers, but are – in football terms – getting long in the tooth as well.

Sydney also reached out to Collingwood swingman Darcy Moore's management during the season, so how that plays out might change futures, too.

That brings us to the forward line.

Lance 'Buddy' Franklin remains pivotal to the Swans' success and sits second in this year's Coleman Medal race despite missing three games and battling concurrent heel and knee issues.

But the domino effect of ruckman Naismith's season-long absence and Kurt Tippett's premature retirement has been profound, and was exacerbated by key forward Sam Reid's latest injury woes.

It means Callum Sinclair plays a lone hand in the ruck instead of supporting Franklin in attack, and that Buddy's forward support cast comprises 20-and-unders Ronke, Will Hayward and Tom McCartin.

Reid, who turns 27 in December, played 22 games last year, but none in 2016, one this season and only 10 in 2013.

Sydney needs him out there more than ever.

Sam Reid in action during the JLT. Picture: AFL Photos

The positive is the future looks bright in front of the sticks. Longmire, Harley, Beatson and co would be asking themselves whether their recent tumble – after being 10-3 through 14 rounds – owes more, or as much, to injury as the state of the list.

Sydney will be without Mills, Reid, Naismith, Grundy, and Melican for Sunday's crunch clash with fellow finals aspirant Melbourne at the MCG.

Ling, a significant part of the planned solution to the Swans' lack of pace, is also out for the season, without making his AFL debut, because of a toe problem.

They need an injection of speed – as Longmire acknowledged after losing to Essendon a fortnight ago – with Florent, Jones, Harry Cunningham, Ronke and Gary Rohan among the few who are fleet of foot.

Quality foot skills are also not in abundance and this will need to be addressed.

But to suggest Sydney didn't see any of this coming would be wrong.

Only Brisbane debuted more players across the past three seasons than the Swans, who spent their past two first-round selections on speedsters Florent and Ling.

Intriguingly, Sydney – a club that made an art form of attracting and getting the best out of recycled talent – sits a clear bottom in the same period for player debuts from other teams.

The Swans' only two debuts in that time were back in 2016, with Adelaide, North Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda the next-lowest clubs with five apiece.

That follows trade restrictions the AFL placed on them a few years back – in the wake of Tippett's then Franklin's arrival in the Harbour City – and the cost-of-living allowance being phased out.

The time looks right for Sydney to again be a significant player at the trade table, and that might require some letting go of the club's recent golden era.

Beatson will need all of his draft savvy, too, to plug the holes that are starting to appear.

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