Veteran defender Lewis Roberts-Thomson believes the Swans have the right mix of youth and experience to return to the top of the AFL this season.

The 30-year-old was instrumental in the Swans' 2012 premiership triumph but missed most of last season with a knee injury as the Swans bowed out in the grand final qualifier.

He feels a healthy roster and new talent, including former Coleman Medallist Buddy Franklin, can see the club repeat its 2012 triumph.

"The list is pretty healthy at the moment," Roberts-Thomson said.

"We've certainly got experience there when you look at blokes like [Jared] McVeigh, [Ryan] O'Keefe, [Adam] Goodes, those sort of players have played a lot of of footy together particularly big games.

"You throw in a few young guys there who bring the excitement and the enthusiasm it's a pretty good recipe.

"Gary Rohan's missed a fair bit of footy in the past but he's bouncing off walls to get back out there.

"Lewis Jetta and Sam Reid missed a lot of footy last year and they're fit and healthy now."

With 174 games and two premierships to his name, Roberts-Thomson is in the veteran class.

He enjoyed cultivating the Swans well-known no-nonsense, team-first culture among new recruits.

"Every year there's a turnover of new players and a few players that leave us. We try to make that a smooth transition and this year's been no different," he said.

"Sometimes it takes a little bit of time but more often than not the players we get to the footy club are pretty motivated and they're willing to do the right thing by their teammates.

"That's a good place to start but I think it really comes down to attitude.

"We're pretty honest at our footy club and we're able to give the feedback that's needed to allow guys to develop and that's what makes our culture so well regarded."

He said Franklin had been quick to embrace the team's ethos.

"Buddy's on board and he's fitted in really well," Roberts-Thomson said.

"He's one of the boys, he's got a really good attitude to training. Because he's new ... he's really immersed himself in the club.

"One of the great things is he does bring that experience so for him to be able to teach the young guys a few tricks and for them to able to learn off him.

"It's going to be an asset for sure."