West Perth interim chief executive Luke Richardson remembers a long-haired 13-year-old with a headband who was the life of the party.
While plenty has changed since then, much has stayed the same for Swadling.
He remains confident, but grounded, effervescent but hard-working as he relishes his spot in Collingwood's senior side, set to take his place in Wildcard Round against Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
“I think he'll go well because he'll be hungry for the fans to be loud because that loud, boisterous environment is where he is at his best,” Richardson told Zero Hanger.
“He'll be doing what he can within his role and remit to engage the crowd through some scores on goal and other things to engage them and put the crowd on his back. ‘Swads' feeds off crowds, so he'll try and bring them on a journey.”
Swadling was a rare shining light with 32 disposals in a heavy loss to Brisbane in Round 24, which captured headlines given the Pies' decision to play Scott Pendlebury, who suffered a potentially season-ending injury.
Co-vice captain Brayden Maynard also suffered a setback on the weekend, with coach Craig McRae pointing to the opportunity it opens for Swadling off half-back.
It's an ironic position for Swadling to make his mark in his first finals series given the stern criticism he received as a junior about his ineffective defending.
“I think Collingwood was such a great club for him to go to," Richardson said.
"I can only comment as an outsider, but while they have a system, expectation and brand of what the Collingwood way looks like, it appears the coaches have drawn the lines and allow players to colour in.
"It feels as though there is a system, but they are reliant on players playing on instinct and relying on internalised predictability and trust that they just know what their teammates will do.
"Because of that system, it allows a level of creative freedom which he relishes."
While his rise to establishing himself as a best 23 player at Collingwood has been rapid, particularly for a club which is careful about playing youngsters who don't have a grasp of the system, it was a much slower burn at junior level.
Swadling didn't stand out until his top-aged year. After being a run-of-the-mill player from under-14s until under-16s, a growth spurt provided optimism that he had some AFL attributes, but it took him some time to put it all together, having given up footy for two years to play soccer in his early teenage years.
It was fitting, then, that McRae had him complete a soccer challenge in front of the Magpies squad to win an AFL debut.
That soccer grounding has contributed to his rise, according to Richardson.
He has played eight games of Collingwood's last 10 AFL games - responding to his brief omission with a best afield VFL performance against ladder-leaders Geelong - and gone to another level in the last fortnight against premiership contenders Brisbane and Hawthorn.
"He's a 360-degree player and understands the importance of ball retention, which comes from soccer, so he will ensure that happens to take the heat out of the game," Richardson said.
"He thrives in those big moments. We're confident he'll respond with calm among chaos. He enjoys the spotlight of championing teammates and celebrating goals."
Swadling has already responded with a high level of "calm among chaos" once in his AFL career, sealing a draw with Hawthorn a fortnight ago to frank the game awareness that was heralded as a key attribute before he was drafted.
That performance earned him a Rising Star nomination as he played with swagger on the big stage.
The Magpies used Pick 37 on the 187cm midfielder who grew up idolising Errol Gulden.
A focus of Collingwood's drafting in the last 12 months has been bringing in players who are AFL-ready.
Angus Anderson has proven himself quickly as a goal-sneak and contested beast, Liam Puncher has played above his weight grade in a decimated defence, and Mitch Podhajski has played within a fortnight of being selected.
Swadling, though, might be the best of the lot, complementing the accumulation with a verve and adventurous streak which opens the game up when he has the ball in hand.
"His ability to get the ball in the right spots and launch inside 50 got him noticed, and he's learning on the fly at Collingwood," Richardson said.
"Whether he's up and about excitable or low, his heart rate doesn't change."
Teammate Dan Houston has called him the difference through the early part of his career given his ability to seize moments and the Pies' 6-1-1 record with him playing.
It's an enormous rise for a player who two years ago was so far off the pace; he started the year playing as an overager in the Under-16s Futures squad, before finally breaking into the Colts side.
“We always knew there was something special because of his ability to accumulate and get to some really dangerous positions on the ground and because he was such a larrikin, people would gravitate towards him," Richardson said.
"Then we needed to get his craft, competitiveness and hunger and contest, and he ticked that box through hard work and dedication."
