Matt Roberts looks primed for a breakout season with Sydney after his opening round Rising Star nomination, with coach John Longmire praising the midfielder's smarts.
The 20-year-old's eye-catching performance, which included eight marks and 19 disposals, in the Swans' 22-point win over Melbourne on Thursday was only his eighth appearance at senior level.
A knee injury which sidelined him for most of 2023 was a "spanner in the works" that required extensive pre-season efforts for the player to get back up to speed.
"To be able to start ground zero in the team and put in a good performance is something that hopefully holds me in good stead," Roberts said on Tuesday.
Coach John Longmire said Roberts, contracted until the end of 2025, was part of the "really important" contingent of up-and-coming players in a young Swans squad.
"He's very smart. He competes really well," Longmire told reporters on Tuesday, ahead of Sydney's trip to face Collingwood at the MCG on Friday.
"We know he's a good ball user and a smart midfielder. But he competes well, competes overhead, competes stoppages.
"Those are the things he does well, and what shone through as a defender.
"He'll have his hands full this week, he'll have some pretty handy forwards to deal with in front of a big crowd.
"We have a lot of faith in our players.
"It doesn't matter what age they are, if they come into this system, and they show some credibility to go to work and learn, they'll play pretty early on," Longmire said.
"They're not going to play at the top of their powers every week, but they're learning a lot."
