The Swans team which takes on triple premiers Hawthorn in front of a sellout SCG crowd on Thursday night includes only eight survivors from their 2012 premiership team. How they have found the rest while remaining in premiership contention is testament to the astute judgment of Swans list manager Kinnear Beatson and his right-hand man Michael Agresta, plus a dose of good fortune.

The arrivals of Franklin and Kurt Tippett, who is injured, have been major factors in the Swans remaining a force, so too the acquisition of Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills from their academy, but nor should their mining of recent drafts be overlooked.

The Swans were forced to shed several players in 2013 to squeeze Franklin into a bursting salary cap but it gave them the opportunity to inject youth into what had been an ageing list.

While the loss of Shane Mumford hurts, particularly with Tippett injured and Toby Nankervis yet to develop, the moves to trade out Andrejs Everitt and Jesse White have been winners. Both were on the fringe at the Swans and have been replaced by a pair of youngsters who look set for long careers.

By releasing White to Collingwood in 2013, the Swans were able to recruit Aliir Aliir with pick 44, while Everitt's trade to Carlton delivered pick 32, which was used on George Hewett. Hewett was the youngest player taken from that draft – he was only 17 – and with another year in the TAC Cup his stocks may have risen beyond the club's means had they waited until 2014. Former Swan Jude Bolton believes Hewett will be a long-term midfielder.

Long-term player: George Hewett handpasses during a loss to the Bulldogs.

"He has elite hands, he'll end up playing key inside mid by the end of his career," Bolton said. "With Kennedy, Hannebery, Parker, Jack in there, he's had to carve out a forward role and pinch hit now and then.

"I've watched him at reserves and in his senior career, he doesn't fumble too often, he's good in tight situations."

Tippett's controversial move to Sydney in the 2012 post season overshadowed the Swans' feats at the draft table. Coming off a premiership, the Swans did not have a strong hand but still found the underrated Jake Lloyd with 16 in the rookie draft and All Australian candidate Dane Rampe with 37. Xavier Richards, Dan Robinson, Brandon Jack and promising ruckman Sam Naismith also graduated from that draft, while Dean Towers, a speculative pick at 22 in the main draft, is showing signs he can be a very handy senior player.

The Swans struck again in last year's rookie intake, seeing something in livewire forward Tom Papley which other clubs did not in two previous drafts.

Bolton believes the Swans have received such good service from their rookies because they do not view them any differently to other draftees.

"They've seen it as an extension of a list and given them confidence that if you work hard enough they'll create a spot for you if you're good enough," Bolton said. "That sort of carrot has encouraged them to put in enormous effort and be rewarded."

Rampe, Bolton said, was one such example. He turned heads in his first pre-season when he served it up to Hannebery, an elite endurance athlete, in the running stakes.

Win on Thursday night and the Swans will be back on top of the ladder, which few would have predicted at the start of the year.

"I was shocked how well they've stepped up," Bolton said. "There's been times in recent years where guys have moved on and I've thought there has been a big loss of experience and guys who haven't played much footy, it might be a year they slip back but these guys have been super impressive. They've come in and been influential. That's given them a chance to contend."