Sydney players and officials are already thinking about the next premiership, determined to maintain their grand defiance of the AFL boom-and-bust cycle.

The Swans upset Hawthorn on Saturday in an epic grand final to win their fifth flag by 10 points.

The Hawks ended the game ahead in most key statistics, but paid for inaccurate goalkicking and lost 14.7 (91) to 11.15 (81).

Incredibly, Sydney have made the top eight in 14 of the past 17 seasons.

Since the Swans initiated their famed “Bloods” team culture at the end of 2002, they have played in nine of the following ten finals series – more than any other team.

They also won the 2005 premiership and lost the 2006 grand final by one point.

The AFL’s salary cap and draft system means successful teams can stay at the top of the ladder for a few seasons, then usually drop out of finals contention to rebuild.

But Sydney’s skilful drafting of players from other clubs and their rock-solid team culture mean they have achieved incredible consistency.

Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and fellow veteran Jude Bolton are determined to continue the trend.

“I’m really proud of the boys, that we haven’t had to bottom out over the journey,” Bolton said during Sunday’s celebrations.

“Obviously we haven’t been as competitive as we would have liked over the last four or five years, but we still played finals footy.

“That’s a credit to these guys, they don’t give up and certainly now we feel we do have a really talented list.

“We can add to that next year and keep up there.”

Former Richmond player Mitch Morton epitomises Sydney’s ability to become more than the sum of their parts.

Traded by the Tigers late last year, Morton did not break into Sydney’s senior side until late in the season.

He first had to convince his team-mates that he would play the way they wanted.

He kicked two key goals in the grand final.

“We have a culture that we’ve set up – you either choose your way in or choose your way out,” McVeigh said.

After a massive night of celebrations – few players appeared to have had any sleep – they attended a fan gathering Sunday morning at Lakeside Oval.

That was South Melbourne’s spiritual home before the club relocated to Sydney in 1982.

After showing off the premiership cup to their Melbourne-based fans, the Swans flew back to Sydney for more celebrations in the afternoon at the SCG.

Attention now will turn to whether the likes of Bolton will continue playing.

He is on 301 games and made it through the grand final despite partially-torn knee ligaments.

“The fire still burns inside and I will just enjoy celebrating this, then we’ll work it out with the club,” Bolton said.

“My body feels good, there’s no issue, I was a bit shocked when people came up and started saying I’d need a knee reconstruction.”

Co-captain Adam Goodes played three quarters of the grand final with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Ted Richards needed pain-killing injections to overcome an ankle injury and ruckman Shane Mumford carried a hamstring injury into the match.

Those injuries underscored the fact that Sydney probably should not have beaten Hawthorn, but ultimately proved indestructible.