While John Longmire admits the club’s growing injury list has caused some headaches at team selection in recent weeks, the Sydney Swans coach said he had plenty to smile about following Friday night’s win over Carlton.

With nine 2012 premiership players missing from Friday’s clash against the Blues, Longmire said the performance of the Swans’ five recent debutants, Tom Mitchell, Dane Rampe, Jed Lamb, Brandon Jack and late inclusion Xavier Richards, demonstrated that the club has a bright future ahead.

“Six months after you play in a Grand Final you don’t expect for nine players to be out from your Grand Final team,” he said.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge, but it’s also provided some magnificent opportunities for players.

“We might not have seen what Dane Rampe was able to do and may not have seen Jed Lamb play his first game or Brandon Jack come in and show a little bit as well.

“Those players have been able to come into the team and show us that they’ve actually got a bit of a future and have at the same time contributed to our win on the weekend.”

Following Mitch Morton’s late withdrawal from the match with a tight quad sustained in the warm-up, the younger of the Richards brothers was thrust into his AFL debut with less than half an hour’s notice. Similarly, Jack was given the late news that he would play his first full match, with Richards replacing him in the green substitutes vest.

Longmire said he had been impressed with his young players’ ability to make the most of their opportunities following the late change.

“(Brandon) was pretty good,” he said.

“We thought that in the conditions he had some real speed and composure and worked quite well, so we were pleased with the way that he went, as we were with Jed Lamb and the others that played.”

Longmire said the injection of youth into his side has done more than simply fill spots on the field, adding that it has had a positive impact on the team in general.

“I think some of our older players have actually enjoyed playing with some of the kids,” he said.

“They’ve actually enjoyed playing with some of that youth and enthusiasm that’s around the place and I think that’s rubbed off on them a bit.”

With Adam Goodes set to miss six weeks and Lewis Jetta still out for the Swans, Longmire said it was likely a number of his youngsters would get more senior opportunities in the coming weeks.

“Our challenge now is to take that form on,” he said.

“It was good to get some depth into our squad, and that’s what we’ve seen this year, is that some of those younger players have come into the team and have played some good senior footy for us.

“That bodes well for the future, but also right at the moment they’ve been able to contribute to us and be competitive on the weekend, which has been important, and hopefully that continues.”