SYDNEY coach Dean Cox has revealed that Tom McCartin could have played through injury but the club opted to pull the pin to prevent further damage.

McCartin has had a sublime start to the season but is set to miss the next fortnight after suffering a knee ligament sprain during the 66-point win over the Western Bulldogs.

The 24-year-old is currently ranked second in the competition for intercept possessions (61) and equal fourth for one-on-one contest win percentage.

In a historic run of form, McCartin recently became the first Swan ever to average more than 24 disposals, 11 intercepts and four intercept marks over three weeks.

"During the game, his knee was a little bit sore. He got to the end and everything was alright, but the next day it was a bit tight and sore again," Cox said of the injury.

"He got some imaging done, and the best option was - even though he could have kept going - to make sure our players are right. We need to look after Tom's welfare and make sure he's as close to 100 per cent as possible. That's only a couple of weeks away, which is good." 

Fellow key defender Lewis Melican has been named in the squad for Sunday's crucial top-four showdown with Melbourne at the SCG. 

While Joel Hamling was also in the selection mix after an impressive VFL performance (21 disposals, nine marks, and two goals), Cox suggested that Melican might not be a straight swap for McCartin.

"Lewis is in the squad," he said.

"We're going to look at what Melbourne do - they play two rucks, so do we use a smaller defensive line as well?

"We've been pleased with what Lewis has done; we were clear with him on what he had to work on. We need to make sure that all our players understand the role they have to play and the level they need to perform at to be in the team. He's been really good the last few weeks in the VFL and (is) getting his body right first as well."

Midfielder Isaac Heeney will return to the line-up provided he completes training, having narrowly missed last week after experiencing some minor calf tightness.

Following the AFL's announcement on Wednesday of rule changes that make it harder and more expensive for northern clubs to draft Academy-developed talent, Cox called on the League to recognise the unique costs of growing the game in the northern markets.

The frustration stems from the fact that the Swans sacrificed three first-round picks in a massive trade deal at the end of 2025 to land marquee recruit Charlie Curnow from Carlton, effectively emptying their draft cupboard of high-end picks for the next three years.

These changes, confirmed for 2026 onwards, create a strategic squeeze for the Swans. Having traded their 2027 first-round pick in the Curnow deal, the new deficit rule effectively bars them from going into points debt to match high-end Academy bids in 2026. 

Furthermore, should the Swans finish in the top two, the new 20 per cent points loading on first-round bids will demand a premium they simply lack the draft currency to pay.

As a result, Cox argued for a system that rewards, rather than penalises, a club for its success in talent development.

"There's always dialogue around change. A lot of clubs - and we're one of them - (want to know) how even can you get a playing field?," he said.

"For us, we've spent a lot of money, a lot of resources, and a lot of time trying to grow the game in Sydney. Part of that has been the Academy, which has been great for young boys and girls wanting to play AFL. 

"I think the separation from father-son to academies needs to be looked at differently, not just put in the same pool where you have to use certain points for these people.

"The restrictions are very hard now to get a talented player you've put a lot of time into. We'd love to have 30 Academy kids drafted - it means they're going all around the country and hopefully some to our football club too - but if that's going to happen, we also need to be reimbursed for the time, effort, and money we put in."

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On Thursday, Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham proposed that teams drafting players out of northern academies pay a $200,000 pathway fee to the club that developed the player. 

Supporting this stance, Cox confirmed the Swans would formally present a compensation model to the AFL.

"We want to grow the game and see kids drafted from Sydney and from our Academy, (but given) the time, effort and resources we put in, something should come back," he said.