And the 24-year-old immediately targeted becoming the Kangaroos' next premiership captain.
Swallow replaces Harvey, 33, North's captain for the past three seasons, while Jack Ziebell, 21 later this month, was announced as a vice-captain alongside Drew Petrie.
Swallow has been the Kangaroos' most consistent player over the past three years, respectively finishing first, third (one vote behind joint winners Harvey and Brady Rawlings) and first (jointly with Daniel Wells) in the best and fairest award, the Syd Barker Medal.
Picked up by North with pick number 43 in the 2005 nationa draft, Swallow made an impressive start to his AFL career, playing 12 games and winning a AFL Rising Star nomination in his debut season and playing every match when North reached a preliminary final in 2007.
Similarly, Ziebell's path to the vice-captaincy has had its share of potholes.
After being drafted by the Kangaroos with pick number nine in the 2008 draft, Ziebell made a promising start to his AFL career in 2009, slotting straight into North's senior team and also winning a Rising Star nomination.
However, he broke his leg in Round 12 that season and again early into 2010. The injuries limited Ziebell o 24 games in his first two seasons and just as significantly, hampered his efforts to improve his endurance running.
After North's round five loss to Richmond last season, Ziebell and fellow midfielder Ben Cunnington were labelled "unfit for AFL level" by Sydney Swans premiership coach Paul Roos.
In his commentary role with Fox Sports, Roos said: "They've been next to useless today … maybe they should be playing in the (VFL) to get their fitness up."
Ziebell responded in the best possible fashion, undertaking extra aerobic sessions throughout the year and hitting a rich vein of form in the second half of 2011.
From Round 11, he had six games of 25 possessions or more, the highlight his 41-possession best-on-ground performance against the Western Bulldogs in Round 17.
Ziebell's outstanding form reversal was recognised with a career-best finish of sixth in North Melbourne's best and fairest count.
A big-bodied 188cm midfielder, Ziebell is a natural ball-winner at stoppages and a key member of North's emerging on-ball division.