Some of the AFL’s brightest young talent will go to war on Friday night as the Sydney Swans do battle with Essendon.

Ben Ronke, Will Hayward, Oliver Florent and a string of other Sydney youngsters loom as key cogs ahead of the Swans’ trip to Etihad Stadium.

But flying high for the Bombers are up-and-coming stars Andrew McGrath, Zach Merrett, Orazio Fantasia and a host of other bright lights.

Sydney midfielder Isaac Heeney has backed the swarm of emerging Swans following in his footsteps as the side prepares for the crucial Bombers clash.

“We have a heap of young fellas in now,” Heeney told The Breakfast Club.

“There’s Ben Ronke, Will Hayward, there’s Ollie Florent off the wing running amok there and he’s really talented. He’s got a bit of X-factor about him. Then you’ve got others like Tommy McCartin. They stand up when they’re told to.

“We’ve got a lot of young players in at the moment. It’s been really exciting and hopefully they can build with a bit of experience. The next couple of years are really exciting.”

McGrath signed with Essendon as the AFL’s number one 2016 draft pick and has since taken everything in his stride, claiming the AFL’s Rising Star award in his debut season and slotting in seamlessly in defence and the midfield.

Merrett has peeled off 28-plus touches in every game since Essendon’s win over Brisbane in Round 12 and Fantasia has this year been the best of the lot.

The enigmatic small forward has brought plenty to his side’s set-up in front of the ball, with his blistering pace and massive ability as a goal-sneak shining through.

Fantasia snagged five goals last Saturday to propel his side to a comprehensive win over Fremantle and collect a perfect 10 coaches’ votes.

A row of five sure-to-be challenging encounters awaits Sydney on the road to the finals, with games against Collingwood, Melbourne, GWS and Hawthorn set to follow the Essendon bout.

But Heeney says ahead of the crunch clash with Essendon his side wouldn’t want it any other way.

“We know we’ve got a tough run home and for us we look at it positively,” Heeney said.

“You want that going into the finals. If you’re going to play well and you can play well heading into the finals it sets you up to really jump into the finals and give it a red-hot crack.

“We know it’s going to be tough both physically and mentally, but we look at it positively.”