Brett Lee has rejected suggestions the Australian players weren't tough enough against England in last year's Ashes loss.
Lee's comments came as former Test captain Steve Waugh said the Australians were too sociable with their rivals and that mateship contributed to the defeat.
But Lee, whose friendship with England star Andrew Flintoff was held up as a symbol of Ashes sportsmanship, said the squad never lost its competitive edge in the tight series.
"It's always a fine line. If you overdo (aggression) it's 'ugly Australians', but if you have a smile on your face it's Australia being too nice," Lee said.
"The series was tough but fair. When we took the field against England we played it hard. But we were doing it the right way even though we were being very aggressive."
Australia's Ashes loss ended a run of 16 years of dominance, starting in 1989. Waugh starred on that tour of England, where captain Allan Border put a freeze on relations with their rivals.
"I thought from the sidelines perhaps they were a little bit too friendly," Waugh said.
"They were using England players' nicknames in the press and that was something that hadn't been done before.
"They may have become too familiar to England and lost a bit of mystique.
"When I first played the West Indies we didn't know much about them, they kept pretty much to themselves and that gave you self doubts on the field.
"As you get to know players more you become less intimidated by them."
But Lee said his camaraderie with Flintoff didn't blunt his aggression.
"Look at Flintoff. When I was bowling to him I was being very aggressive," Lee said.
"He was trying to hit me for six, and I was trying to get him out. Batting against him on several occasions my ribs got a workout. He was really it giving to me."
Lee's thoughts on the Ashes camaraderie were made last weekend, before Waugh's comments became public.
- IAIN PAYTEN