Star Sydney Swans defender Jake Lloyd produced a career-best season in 2018 and is determined to rise again in the side’s absence of a host of experienced campaigners.

The Swans’ 2018 Club Champion has lost more than 700 games’ worth of experience by his side this season, with Jarrad McVeigh (322 matches), Heath Grundy (256) and Nick Smith (211) all nursing injuries.

The considerable loss of experience means Sydney co-captain Dane Rampe (144 games) and 121-match Swan Lloyd, who last year became the quickest player in the club’s history to reach a ton, are now the side’s most-capped defenders.

But Lloyd, who’s now surrounded in defence by the developing Callum Mills, Aliir Aliir, Lewis Melican, Jackson Thurlow and Tom McCartin, is intent on again reaching career-high peaks. 

“It’s a good opportunity for me to take my game to another level with those more experienced guys out of the team,” Lloyd said.

“I’m looking to step up, play my role and pass that on to the younger guys as well. 

“It’s a good opportunity for players like Harry Cunningham, myself and others to step up.”

Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Rampe are leading the Swans in a three-way co-captaincy structure in 2019, with McVeigh, Smith, Mills, Isaac Heeney and Tom Papley rounding out the leadership panel.

It's hoped having a range of ages in the eight-man group will help fast-track the growth of Sydney’s emerging leaders.

Lloyd says the Swans’ leaders are performing admirably as Sydney strives to recover the season’s slow start.

“They’re doing everything they can to help us turn our season around. It’s a big responsibility for our leaders to show the way for the younger guys, but they’re doing that as much as they can,” Lloyd said.

“Whether it’s in meetings, at training or whatever, they’re doing as much as they can to help us turn things around.”