Which isn't too surprising until it's put in the context that they sailed through the past three seasons undefeated, including consecutive premierships.

Extra AFL Canberra restrictions have helped stem the onslaught, with only 13 Swans listed players on field at any one time instead of the 15 introduced last year to try to even the competition up.

But, mainly, Sydney's luck with injuries has run out.

They had two players suffer serious knee injuries - Nick Malceski and Kristin Thornton - in the pre-season.

Then there is the host of senior players who have all missed matches early on Peter "Spida" Everitt, Nic Fosdike, Henry Playfair and now Barry Hall. This combined with a group of rookies Patrick Veszpremi, Daniel Currie, Brett Meredith and Heath Grundy who have all missed a few games.

"The most [Swans-listed] players we've played is 16, and we're allowed to have 18," Swans reserves coach Brett Allison said.

Today, in their second match against Queanbeyan this year, the Swans will only have 11 listed players.

This year has also marked a change in the list. This year's rookies and top-up players are younger and lighter than last year, and the tables have turned.

After the first four rounds, AFL Canberra chairman Geoff Gosling is now worried. "As the chair, I am concerned about the amount of physicality being applied to some of the younger Swans players," he said.

"If you have an 18-year-old kid coming up against someone like a [Ainslie's Anthony] Bourke or a [Queanbeyan's Andrew] Carey, there is a bit of a mismatch there and we need to make sure it's right."

In his column in the AFL Canberra Record for this weekend, general manager David Wark warned the league to shape up.

"Courage and toughness may have been terms confused by some players when hearing them in coaches' pre-game addresses, for I have little doubt no coach has asked a player to use their elbow to strike an opponent, no coach has asked a player to punch an opponent behind the play (particularly when the opponent has no chance to defend themselves) and no coach would ask a player to use their knees when attacking an opponent with the ball.

"That these incidents have occurred is alarming ...

"That is as far as I can take these matters, but were it within my power I would also have lobbied to have a few players spending considerable time on the sideline and not bringing their club into a position where its integrity is questioned and the safety of the opposition is assured."

Brett Allison said he was also concerned.

"There have been a few unsavoury incidents," he said.

"The game has changed. Ten or 15 years ago, running at the player was probably accepted, that's certainly not the case at senior AFL level anymore, you have to go for the ball.

"Last week I think we had probably three players over the age of 21, [the other clubs] are physically stronger than our players, and they should use that to their advantage.

"But they need to do that inside the rules.

"We're in regular contact with David Wark and we've expressed our concern ..."

Allison didn't take anything away from the AFL Canberra teams that have beaten the Swans so far: Queanbeyan, Ainslie and Eastlake.

"They have done their research in the off-season and they are better teams than they were last year. 'But I think [the results] are good for the competition."

It has certainly opened up this year's premiership race and unless things change dramatically, it's unlikely the Swans will claim their fourth straight title.

They are back to what they were like when they first entered the competition, in 2004. It wasn't until the next year when they also claimed a senior AFL premiership that they reached another level.

Allison said, "But we are in the best competition for us that we could be.

"The guys that have come through Kieran Jack, Ed Barlow, Craig Bird they've made the transition easily to senior football and haven't looked out of place."