Sydney forward Tom McCartin will become the fifth youngest Swans finals player all-time today and the youngest in 73 years.

In today’s elimination final against GWS at the SCG, Swans veteran Jarrad McVeigh will also equal Adam Goodes’ club record of 28 finals appearances, which will move him to equal eighth on the AFL’s all-time list of finals appearances.

In what is a statistician’s delight, McCartin will be the youngest Swans finals debutant since Brownlow Medallist and Team of the Century member Ron Clegg made his first finals appearance aged 17 in 1945.

Others to make their finals debut who were younger than McCartin was 17-year-old Jack Scobie in 1909, 18-year-old Art Mietzcke in 1932 and 18-year-old Fred Carpenter.

Other 18-year-old finals debutants older than McCartin by a matter of days have been Luke Parker (2011), Jason Saddington (1998), Steve Hoffman (1970) and Herbie Matthews (1932). Full details are:

Also making their finals debut for the Swans today will be Will Hayward (19), Ollie Florent (20), Ben Ronke (20) and Dan Robinson (24).

The group of McCartin, Hayward, Florent and Ronke will be the biggest under 21 quartet to debut together since Justin Crawford (18), Shannon Grant (18), Brad Seymour (19), Adam Heuskes (19) and Simon Arnott (19) shared the moment in the 1996 qualifying final.

Only two other times have four or more players under 21 made their finals debut together – Hoffman (18), John Pitura (19), Reg Gleeson (20) and David McLeish (20) in the 1970 semi-final and Matthews (18), Mietzcke (18), Maurie Hearn (19), Bob Pratt (20) and Jock Fahey (20) in the 1932 semi-final.

McCartin, the youngest player in the AFL this year, will make his finals debut in his 15^th game, Ronke in his 18^th game, Robinson in his 25^th, Florent his 32^nd and Hayward his 40^th.

But that is a statistic that will not raise an eyebrow in the Swans dressing room after it’s been commonplace for youngsters to play finals for the Swans in recent years.

Among those in the team today, Harry Cunningham was the least experienced to feature in September, playing his first final in his fifth game in 2013.

Aliir Aliir (11) was next quickest, followed by Parker (12), Isaac Heeney (13), Zak Jones (14), Tom Papley (17), Jake Lloyd (19), Nic Newman (19), McVeigh (20), Dane Rampe (21), George Hewett (21), Kieren Jack (24), Dan Hannebery (27), Callum Sinclair (27) and Josh Kennedy (36).

Heath Grundy is the outlier – he had to wait until his 69^th game to make his finals debut.

Lance Franklin was 55 games at Hawthorn before his first final.

James Rose, not in the Swans side today, played his first final in just his second game. Gary Rohan was 17, and the injured Sam Naismith 10, Alex Johnson 19, Callum Mills 21 and Sam Reid 23.

Among the emergencies, Harry Marsh played his first final in his fifth game and Dean Towers in his 16^th. Darcy Cameron, if he was a late inclusion, would make his finals debut in just his second game, and Jordan Dawson likewise in his fifth.

Meanwhile, McVeigh, who made his finals debut at 20 in 2004, will find himself behind only Michael Tuck (39), Shaun Burgoyne (34), Gordon Coventry (31), Bruce Doull (29), Leigh Matthews (29) and Wayne Schimmelbush (29) on the AFL’s all-time finals list.

The 33-year-old, recently contracted for 2019, will pull level with Goodes, Jason Akermanis, Gary Ayres, Jimmy Bartel, Bill Hutchison and Chris Mew at 28 finals.

Josh Kennedy, Dan Hannebery and Kieren Jack will each play their 22^nd final tomorrow to move to equal fifth on the Swans all-time finals list behind Goodes, McVeigh, Jude Bolton (26) and Ryan O’Keefe (24), and ahead of Ted Richards (21) and Nick Smith (20).

Heath Grundy will play his 19^th final to move one up on Tadhg Kennelly, Brett Kirk and Michael O’Loughlin (18).

Lance Franklin will play his 10^th Swans finals and his 24^th overall.

Franklin also will have a chance to improve on his fifth ranking all-time in AFL finals goals. He has 69 to trail only Gordon Coventry (111), Jason Dunstall (78), Jack Titus (74) and Leigh Matthews (72).

With 23 finals goals for the Swans, the 2018 All-Australian captain is seventh on the club’s all-time finals goal list behind Barry Hall (39), Bob Pratt (37), Michael O’Loughlin (37), Adam Goodes (33), Laurie Nash (27) and Ryan O’Keefe (25).

John Longmire will coach his 20^th final tomorrow. Among current AFL coaches only Alastair Clarkson, who was in charge of his 25^th final on Thursday night, has coached more.

Longmire has coached the Swans more often than anyone in finals. Paul Roos is next at 16, while Jack Bisset, coach of the Swans Team of the Century, is at 10.