By the end of this season the Swans will have spent $7 million on their academy, which was established in 2010, at the cost of $1.17 million for each of the six graduates who have played senior football and, as it stands, more than $72,000 per game.

While the controversy surrounding boom youngsters Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills led to the AFL changing draft rules regarding the academies, there was little discussion of the topic when the Swans secured lower-profile graduates Sam Naismith and Brandon Jack.

Insiders say there is no talent matching the calibre of Heeney or Mills in this year's draft.

Their arrivals came just when the Swans needed them most after the trade and free agency bans imposed by the AFL.

The sanctions had the potential to be very costly for the Swans, who labelled it "senseless" and "unconstitutional", at time when player movement between clubs had rarely been so fluid since the introduction of the draft and salary cap.

They were shut out entirely from the 2014 player exchange period and, after much lobbying, in 2015 allowed only to sign players on a salary less than $450,000 or risk an immediate lifting of the cost of living allowance.

The heavy ban, after the club had signed Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin in consecutive trade periods, meant the Swans could not strengthen their best team via player movement. But it has not stopped the Swans from contending.

Their improvement has had to come from what they already had in 2014 plus what they have been able to harness in the draft and the instant dividends from Heeney and Mills. Heeney won this year's AFL Coaches Association's award for best young player while Mills was named the league's Rising Star.

Of the 22 who will wear the red and white at the MCG on Friday night, 20 were already on the Swans' list when the ban was enforced. The exceptions being the precociously talented Heeney and Tom Papley, a graduate of last year's rookie draft who has surprised many with his progress.

By comparison, the Cats have six who came after the 2014 season through trade or free agency, most notably raging Brownlow favourite Patrick Dangerfield, while ruck duo Zac Smith and Rhys Stanley and swingman Lachie Henderson would be regular players at most top clubs.

While many in the game's heartland say the academies of the northern states give them an unfair advantage, Swans chairman Andrew Pridham believes there is no need for Victorian clubs to have their own.

"You might as well throw the draft out the window if you allow academies for kids who would otherwise play the game in football states," Pridham said.

"One thing we can say for certain and no one can dispute is Heeney and Mills – the standouts from the academy system – neither would be playing.

"It's about developing the game on and off the field and attracting first-choice athletes to the AFL. That's something that's not necessary in traditional states.

"First choice athletes play AFL so you're not going to attract new people to the game, you're just creating a pathway to clubs outside of the draft for players who otherwise would be in the draft.

"That's not to say you shouldn't use club brand to grow the game, but not the same system as the northern states for academies."

The Swans believe their success this year is down to astute recruiting and strong player development. Their preliminary final team has eight who started their careers on the Swans rookie list, and eight with fewer than 50 games' experience, of which Heeney and Zak Jones are the only top-20 draft picks.

"We've probably spoken about it during the year a little bit and how quickly it's been able to regenerate itself," Jack said.

"We did a photo last week at the Adelaide game and I think there was only six players that played in the final over in Adelaide in 2012.

"It's happened really quickly, but it's a credit to the club, the processes they put in place, the development staff, the coaches, the leaders that are around to be able to quickly bring them up to speed."