YOU can take the boy out of the Bloods, but it seems you can't take the Bloods out of the boy.
The Sydney bandwagon might be starting to gather momentum but those in the inner sanctum aren't just keeping a lid on it, they've put a vacuum seal on it.
Even Michael O'Loughlin, who hasn't played for the club since 2009, goes into a trance when talking about the hope of a premiership this season, something that is now a distinct possibility as the Swans hold top place on the ladder.
It's almost as if he's one of Sydney's players again, a group collectively infamous for avoiding questions about success and anything other than the next week's game.
''The strength of this footy club is that they never get ahead of themselves. It's always been like that since I arrived and [coach] John Longmire would be the absolute same, and he's doing a brilliant job,'' O'Loughlin said yesterday. ''Everybody is playing a role and I know that's a really boring answer but that's the reason people in this club are so good.''
O'Loughlin, 35, conceded the players would have obviously started to think about achieving the ultimate success but they would be too well drilled to let that be a distraction.
''There's no doubt as a fan and an ex-player I want them to do very well but I - I guess more than others - know that the process has to be spot on to achieve that ultimate dream,'' he said. ''It [winning the premiership] will be in their minds I guess but they'll be taking it one day at a time, one week at a time.''
Famed as the Swans were after winning the premiership in 2005, O'Loughlin admits the current crop might have his old team's measure.
''Everyone is talking about the outside run and the spread has been fantastic, but there's been an addition of players who've gone to another level - [Lewis] Jetta has been one of the real catalysts and even the old blokes [have lifted],'' he said. ''I just absolutely love watching Ted Richards, he's having a fantastic year down back and is helped out by Heath Grundy, a very underrated player and also Martin Mattner. As a forward, I love watching those guys stopping forwards.
''Then you chuck in the guns - [Jarrad] McVeigh, [Adam] Goodes and [Ryan] O'Keefe and [Josh] Kennedy, it's an exciting team.''
But yesterday was not a day for thinking about the present or future. It was about O'Loughlin's glorious past with the Swans.
O'Loughlin was speaking at the launch of his book, Micky O, chronicling his rise from a reluctant Adelaide schoolboy to being one of the club's greatest players and one of only two Swans (the other being his great mate Goodes) to have gone past the 300-game milestone.
While his first few years after being drafted in 1994 were plagued by uncertainty about his place - as a person as much as a footballer - O'Loughlin credited the club for putting him on the path to success.
''This club has done everything for me. I've met some great people here, I think everything I've learnt as an adult has been here,'' he said.
While former coach Paul Roos publicly paid tribute to O'Loughlin for his commitment and dedication, the former forward reflected that his journey could have been different.
''I grew up in a pretty rough neighbourhood and a lot of friends and family are really battling,'' he said. ''I wouldn't change my upbringing but things I've learnt here about hard work and that if you really strive and want something bad enough, you can do it if you put your head down and bum up.''