While the Sydney Swans 2021 campaign was something to be proud of, co-captain Dane Rampe insists the playing group remain unsatisfied with their finish and are determined to not rest on their laurels heading into the new season.

The heart-breaking 74-33 loss to GWS in the Elimination Final still burns deep for Rampe and the squad, although admitting they have well and truly put that aside and are now using it as motivation.

He says the squad are under no illusions that a mountain of hard work is required if they are to repeat their efforts or improve on their sixth place finish.

"From a holistic sense, I think not expecting that it's going to be the same as last year [is important]. Just because we made finals and we featured in September, it doesn't mean it's just going to happen again," Rampe said.

"That's probably something as senior players that we're really aware of. The tendency can be to think that it's going to keep on happening, but footy is not that easy and it just doesn't work that way.

"You need to put in the work and the effort again, and thankfully the boys have been doing that, but that is something that we're mindful of. We're really trying to continue to drive our own destiny and not worry about anyone else."

While the extensive travel period set a big challenge for the club last year, Rampe speaks of enormous pride when reflecting on a crazy season that saw the Swans adopt a 'whatever it takes' mentality that ultimately paved the way for a successful season.

"I wouldn't say our camaraderie was built on the back of adversity, but I think it was built on a lot of time spent together. I think the Hub galvanized us as a group and I was really proud of how ewe embraced that.

"There's two ways you can go about going into a Hub and being away from friends and family...you either worry about things you can't control or really embrace the time that you're going to get together.

"I think everyone that was watching at home could see that we really enjoyed each other's company and I think that paid dividends on the field."

As Rampe heads into his ninth season in the Red and White, he continues to be a revered leader at the Bloods and speaks of his enjoyment of helping nurture the young playing group.

Having been co-captain alongside Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker for the last three seasons, Rampe highlighted a host of other players who are showing their leadership credentials heading into a new year with plenty of promise.

"I take a lot of pride in seeing a lot of my best mates grow as people as-well. Callum Mills thrived in a new role, obviously he has been in the leadership group for a few years now but seeing him really relish that move tot he midfield - he is definitely a future leader of the club in waiting.

"Some of the younger guys like Will Hayward, after a tough start to the year last season, really showed his consistency and his ability to drag others along with him.

"Tom Papley is another one that comes to mind - he's a super selfless player and really leading that charge with energy and enthusiasm which we love to see.

"We love seeing them grow and develop and hopefully that just continues to happen."