THE SYDNEY Swans are on the verge of some Harbour City history and it is some re-modelled thinking that has led to their current run of success.

It is has been remarked regularly this season that the game of AFL doesn't just evolve season by season, it can actually change during a particular year.

The Swans are currently on an eight-game winning streak, which equals the club's record since it moved to Sydney three decades ago, and it has been led by a new in-season approach.

Twice before the club has won eight straight games since becoming the Sydney Swans - in 1996 and in 1987 - and a victory over Carlton at Etihad Stadium this Sunday will set a new mark.

The club's all-time record is 12 consecutive wins, set three times between 1918 and 1935, when it was in South Melbourne.

It might sound simple, but a focus on basic consistency, plus trying to stop the opposition dictating momentum, has led to a winning streak that carried them from a finals dogfight at 6-3 to first on the ladder at 14-3.

It spawned from the club's last defeat - back in round nine against St Kilda - when the Swans made a strong start, before the Saints dominated the second and third terms en route to a 28-point win.

"That's an aspect we identified coming out of that game, we thought that the opposition were able to get a run on too quickly and for too long and we weren't able to stop it," coach John Longmire said in Sydney on Thursday.

"All teams get momentum, no matter where they are on the ladder, and quite often whether you win or lose is dictated by the scoreboard pressure the opposition are able to apply during that period."

The Swans have undoubtedly tweaked their game plan, adding plenty of outside run, which has led to them averaging the fifth highest number of goals in the AFL this season.

But they also haven't forgotten what has been their bread and butter for more than a decade - defensive pressure.

The Swans began implementing the forward press when it became so successful by the Collingwood side that won the 2010 flag, adding that to the tackling and pressure skills the Harbour City club has always prided itself on.

This season, the Swans have easily the best defensive record in the League, conceding 117 total points less than the second best Hawthorn.

They are also second in tackles, second in clearances, second in contested possessions and fourth in rebound 50s.

It's not hard to see why that has equated to first on the AFL ladder.

"We think we've really changed a few aspects of our game over the last twelve-to-eighteen months and we keep evolving as the game does," Longmire said.

"But one thing we do want to maintain is our defensive aspect and it's not just our back six.

"It's an all-over-the-ground defence and starts quite often in your forward half.

"We value that part of the game, we're high in tackling, we continue to focus on that as well, and that gives us a better chance of scoring if we're strong defensively."

James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD