If Sydney manage to win consecutive AFL premierships for the first time in the club’s history, it will be minus the stability that has underlined dynasties in the past.

A long injury list has prevented the Swans from fielding a team with more than 16 players from last year’s grand final since the mid-season bye.

Often it’s been even fewer. Last Friday night, when the Swans signed off the regular season with a 12-point loss to Hawthorn, there were nine 2012 premiership players sidelined.

Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Lewis Jetta, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Alex Johnson, Rhyce Shaw and Marty Mattner were all vital cogs in last year’s premiership team and have missed the majority of the season.

In their place, the reigning premiers have unleashed six debutants this year headlined by midfielder Tom Mitchell and defender Dane Rampe.

Swans coach John Longmire has re-jigged his forward line to accommodate star recruit Kurt Tippett, while former Western Bulldogs utility Andrejs Everitt is likely to play his first AFL final on Friday night against Hawthorn.

Throw in Jesse White and Gary Rohan, who missed the entire 2012 finals campaign through form and fitness respectively, and in the words of Longmire “it’s certainly a different look”.

“It’s a completely different team in a lot of aspects,” Longmire said.

“What we do know though is whether it’s Tom Mitchell or Ryan O’Keefe, the same things still apply in finals footy.

“It’s about winning contested ball and being hard and strong and playing both ways.”

To put the Swans’ new sensation in comparison with the last side to go back to back, Brisbane had 16 players become triple-premiership players in 2001-2003.

In addition, six other Lions played in two of those grand finals.

“There are a lot of guys who didn’t play who are very hungry,” Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh said of his new-look side.

“Obviously it goes up another level in terms of hardness and the pace of the game, but I’m sure those guys will be fine.”