Many of the players in the team may be different, but co-captain Adam Goodes believes the Swans’ culture and toughness is the same as during the club’s last premiership year.

Goodes, who was just 25 in 2005, said while only a few players remain from Sydney’s last premiership, this year’s team demonstrated the same qualities that secured the club their first Grand Final win in 72 years.

“(The team) is completely different (to 2005/06),” Goodes told SwansTV.

“I think there are only about six or seven of us from there and it’s a completely different team.

“But the culture is very much still the same and there are things in our game plan that have been tweaked, but I think the nitty gritty of how we play is very similar and I think it’s still very hard and contested.

“That’s what the people want to see, a very hard and contested one-on-one game of footy and maybe, or hopefully, it will get a result like 2005 when it goes right down to the wire and the Swans win.”

Fellow co-captain Jarrad McVeigh just missed out on the Swans 2005 premiership, but lined up in the club’s 2006 Grand Final appearance.

Just one point stood in the way of the Swans winning back-to-back premierships, and McVeigh said he and his team mates were determined to make this year’s opportunity count.

“They are all big games, Grand Finals, but obviously we didn’t get the win (in 2006) and that still burns,” McVeigh said.

“We just want to take this opportunity and really not waste it because we’ve worked really hard to get to this position.”

Both captains agreed that this Saturday’s Grand Final clash with Hawthorn would come down to toughness, consistency and winning the contested ball.

McVeigh said the key to success in this weekend’s game would be midfield supremacy.

“They are a really, really good team with a super midfield, forwards and defence and they move the ball really fast and have super skill work,” McVeigh said.

“We’ll have to be on our game and not let them get too much ball and really pressure them.

“Centre clearances are so crucial as well as hardness around the ball and contested footy, which is what wins finals footy.

“We’ve been going well in that area this year so we’ll have to do that again this week.”

Goodes added that his team had learnt a lesson about playing four-quarter football back in round 22, when the Hawks rebound from a 38-point deficit to steal the match from the Swans by seven points.

“I think the way (Hawthorn) has played, they’re a fantastic team and I’m just expecting what we got when we played them this year,” Goodes said.

“They’re going to be hard, contested and their midfielders are going to be up and about.

“I think if we play the way that we want to play for longer than the Hawks, then we’ll give ourselves every opportunity.”

With the ledger between the two sides at 1-1 this season, Goodes said the Swans will enter Saturday’s match with the confidence that they can match the Hawks when the team is at its best.

“(Hawthorn) are going to start as favourites, but we’re going to go into this game knowing that we’ve played really well against the Hawks both times this year, so who knows what’s going to happen but we look forward to the result come about 5:30pm Saturday afternoon.”