Isaac Heeney Biography

Isaac Heeney wins the Bob Skilton medal as the Swans' best and fairest for 2024.

Isaac Heeney is deemed ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal after copping a one-game ban for a strike on Saint Jimmy Webster.

Sydney challenged the ban, claiming that Heeney's incident with Jimmy Webster was careless and not intentional as originally graded by the Match Review Officer. However, after 60 minutes of evidence and 40 minutes of deliberation, Sydney's appeal was unsuccessful.

Isaac Heeney signs a new six-year deal with the Swans to remain at the club until the end of the 2028 season.

"It's the club I grew up barracking for and to be a one-club player here at the Sydney Swans is incredibly humbling and extremely exciting," Heeney said.

"The bond we have at this club, from the players to the coaching staff, we're all one unit. We ride the highs and lows together, and how we stick together is a reflection of the Bloods culture."

Isaac Heeney kicked a career-high 36 goals in 2021 but is set to train with the midfield group over the pre-season as he gets his body in shape to have a similar impact around the field in 2022.

"That'll be an important part of his plan over the summer, to prepare to play that midfield-forward role even more," Sydney coach John Longmire said.

"We were hoping that as this year progressed we could get Isaac's training loads right to allow him to do that. Now we'll work on that balance over the pre-season because he can be really damaging, which he showed in the last four or five games this year."

Isaac Heeney is set to miss a month of football and may undergo surgery after breaking his hand in the second quarter of the Swans' win against Essendon.

Heeney appeared to strike Bombers defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher in an off-the-ball incident and immediately walked away from the scene cradling his right hand, going straight to the bench where he was substituted out of the match and later watched on with ice strapped to the injury.

Heeney has already missed 27 of a possible 140 games through injury, having avoided an early setback in just two of his seven seasons with the club after being recruited as a first-round Academy prospect in 2014.

Isaac Heeney is set to miss up to a month of footy breaking his hand in the Swans' thrilling three-point win over Essendon.

"It's just terrible luck for him. He's one of our best preparers, he trains so hard," Sydney coach John Longmire said.

"He's got a crack in his hand, so it's three weeks or four weeks, I guess. [But] I'm not sure what the official diagnosis is."

Sydney star Isaac Heeney remains confident of lining up in the Swans' round one clash as he continues a slow but steady recovery from his shattering ankle injury in 2020.

The original surgery included three different procedures to correct the damage done to the ankle, while he required follow-up stem cell treatment to help restore the cartilage he had removed as part of the initial operation.

"The work I've put in is positive for my ankle at the moment. I'm not far off, I'm doing a lot of agility, game base [work] without the contact but that's the next step for me - the contact work and that will put some more strain through my ankle. Hopefully, after that, I'm not far off some game simulation," he said.

Isaac Heeney is set to miss the rest of the 2020 season after scans revealed an ankle dislocation and medial ligament rupture.

Isaac Heeney defends himself from claims he was putting himself at risk after posting vision of himself wakeboarding around his family's farm near Newcastle during the suspension of the 2020 AFL season (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

"I guess it's something where I've got enough experience and I know when I'm putting myself in danger and at that point in time, I didn't feel like I was," Heeney said.

"I was having some fun and if I at all didn't feel like I was in control of the situation, I obviously wouldn't do it. For me, coming back here and the (best thing) for my mental health is to have a bit of fun with my family and that's what that included."

Isaac Heeney will undergo surgery and looks set to miss the Marsh Community Series after fracturing his thumb at training.

"Isaac was struck awkwardly on the hand in a fairly routine contest during training. It was just one of those unfortunate incidents that can happen at training. Scans confirmed a fracture in his thumb," Swans football manager Charlie Gardiner said.

"Isaac is obviously disappointed but he should be back running in a matter of days and we're confident he will be available for the start of the season."

Swans co-captain Luke Parker got a closer-than-expected look at the disastrous effects of the bushfires while he was enjoying the Christmas break on the south coast of NSW.

Parker, his partner Kate, teammate Isaac Heeney and his partner Lauren, were holidaying in Manyana, a small beach town approximately 200km from Sydney, when the fires took hold in the final days of 2019.

"Kate has a holiday house in Manyana and it's one of my favourite places in the world," he said.

"Lake Conjola is only a kilometre away and 90 houses were lost there, and everybody was evacuated onto the beach on New Year's Eve."

Lance Franklin is the new face in Sydney's player-voted leadership group for 2020, joining co-captains Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe, as well as young gun Callum Mills.

The Swans have slashed the group from eight players to five, with retired pair Jarrad McVeigh and Nick Smith, Isaac Heeney and Tom Papley no longer involved.

Isaac Heeney says he would like to one day captain the Swans.

"I'd absolutely love to captain the club, but that’s a long way down the track," he said.

"It has been challenging this year, but I've absolutely loved it, and if I can be a role model to the younger forwards then I'd love to do that.

"I just have to make sure my backyard is clean and be professional on and off the field, while keeping my standards high on a consistent basis."

Swans officials have cleared midfielder Isaac Heeney of any wrongdoing after it emerged he was at a Sydney nightspot last weekend when North Melbourne's Taylor Garner allegedly assaulted a man.

Garner, who was staying in the Harbour City with Swans onballer and former Kangas teammate Ryan Clarke while North had their mid-season bye, is alleged to have broken a man's nose at a popular pub in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Swans officials said in a statement that while Heeney witnessed the alleged scuffle, Clarke had already left by the time it occurred.

Sydney footy boss Charlie Gardiner said Heeney stopped the incident from escalating further and lent his assistance to the other man involved.

"Both Isaac and Ryan kept the club fully informed about what occurred over the weekend," Gardiner said.

"Isaac should be commended for diffusing the situation and offering support to the other party."

Isaac Heeney is coming off a career-best season but after the first faultless summer in his short career, the Sydney youngster wants to have a more consistent impact on the competition in 2019.

"I want to have more impact playing as an inside midfielder and also when I go forward," Heeney said.

"If I'm forward I can't just be there resting, I've got to make sure I'm having an influence and hitting the scoreboard, so that's the goal this year."

Isaac Heeney suffers a delayed concussion against Richmond at Etihad Stadium.

Heeney appeared to cop a knock midway through the second quarter, but returned to the game to see out the half.

He started the third quarter on the field, only to come back to the bench midway through the term, when Sydney officials ruled him out for the rest of the match.

Cats coach Chris Scott calls for match-day reporting to be scrapped in the wake of Jordan Murdoch being cited for a high bump on Swan Isaac Heeney.

Murdoch went into the book on the stroke of half-time as he braced for contact and collected Heeney with his hip as they approached a loose ball.

Heeney suffered no ill-effects and played out the game despite also copping a knee to his lower back/hip region in the third term.

"To put the pressure on umpires to feel like they have to intervene in split-second moments like that is really unfair on them," Scott said.

"To report him and affect him for the next half of the game, I think makes a bad decision even worse."

Isaac Heeney will miss at least a month of training after undergoing knee surgery.

The 21-year-old had been training with the main group since the club's younger players returned to training in late November, but experienced some knee pain and opted for arthroscopic surgery.

Some minor damage to his knee cartilage was repaired and he is expected to return to the main group by late January.

Isaac Heeney says has the licence to switch his position mid-match without waiting for instructions from coach John Longmire.

"I think you've got to trust yourself, and you've got to have confidence in yourself," Heeney said.

"If I'm in the midfield, 'Horse' backs me to go forward and try and take marks and kick a few goals as well."

The fans have spoken and Western Bulldogs premiership prodigy Marcus Bontempelli will appear on the cover of the yet-to-be-released AFL Evolution video game.

Following a fan poll on AFL.com.au late last year, Dogs club champion Bontempelli received 23 per cent of the 128,000 votes cast by fans.

'The Bont' will be joined on the cover of AFL Evolution by Port Adelaide star Chad Wingard and Sydney youngster Isaac Heeney.

Isaac Heeney will likely miss the start of the home and away season after being diagnosed with glandular fever.

"Clearly this is disappointing news for us and for Isaac, as he has had a terrific pre-season to date," Swans football manager Tom Harley said.

"However, Isaac is receiving the care and rest he needs so we're confident he will return to play early in the season and I've no doubt he will make a solid contribution when he returns."

Isaac Heeney signs a five-year contract extension with Sydney that will keep him at the club until the end of 2022.

Heeney says spending more time in the midfield is one of his goals for 2017.

"I'm out there running my butt off just to push and get that fitness under my belt to be able to run out a game in the midfield, so I'll be in Horse's (Swans coach John Longmire's) ear constantly just saying 'get me in there','" Heeney said.

"But whatever he chooses to do, I'm happy with."

Isaac Heeney signs a five-year contract extension with Sydney that will keep him at the club until the end of 2022.

"To sign a five-year contract is special and it gives me that security to really focus on footy now," Heeney said.

"It is an easy decision because I have loved the last two years and what the Swans have ahead is something extremely special within the group.

Isaac Heeney has been the player of the finals so far in the eyes of the coaches, who have awarded him 15 votes in the Gary Ayres Award over three games.

His role mixing time between half-forward and a wing has become a dangerous one given his knack for losing his man and hard-nut instincts at stoppages.

"These days you've got to have that versatility and I feel like I have that," Heeney said.

"I can play forward, I've been thrown into the guts and feel I can play my role there, and if they need me as a spare down back I can do that as well."

Isaac Heeney admits he was "cooked" two months ago and says coach John Longmire made a good call to drop him.

"I just needed that break in mid-year," Heeney said.

"I was just mentally and physically cooked and I'll admit it happens.

"I did hit that little bit of a slump, so Horse (Longmire) gave me a week off and then one week in the reserves to come back and find some form.

"I came back rejuvenated and I'm feeling good, feeling fresh, as fresh as you'll ever be at the end of the season."

Swans midfield coach Stuart Dew says Isaac Heeney is poised to spend more time in the middle.

"At his age, we're drip feeding him, but if he continues the way he's going he'll definitely see more midfield time," Dew said.

"I think he can kick goals whether he's playing midfield or forward, especially in today's game.

"He's pretty powerful overhead but if it's not happening up forward for him you can put him up the ground and get him going, and then throw him forward again."

Isaac Heeney has surprised even his coach with the quality of his second season in the AFL.

"He competes so hard," Swans coach John Longmire said.

"He always launches at the ball and you know you're always going to get a full-on contest from him.

"He's played a bit more in the midfield this year at times this year and he's done really well at that too.

"He's played most of his season as a forward but when he goes into the middle he's a really handy rotation for that part of the ground as well."

Isaac Heeney has recovered from the broken jaw he suffered when allegedly assaulted last month and will join his teammates when pre-season training gets underway on Monday.

Heeney, 19, required surgery to insert four plates and 16 screws after he was felled by a single blow from behind by an unknown attacker while on holiday in Hong Kong.

However, he has made a full recovery and will train with the Swans' first to fourth-year players at Lakeside Oval on Monday, albeit in a limited capacity as he manages some minor knee tendinitis, a club spokesman says.

Isaac Heeney suffers a broken jaw while on holiday in Hong Kong after an unprovoked attack.

"The Sydney Swans are aware Isaac Heeney was involved in an unprovoked attack while in Hong Kong with teammates on Saturday morning," the Swans said in a statement.

"The 19-year-old was trying to enter a cab when he was struck from behind.

"After being taken to the closest medical facility, it was detected that Heeney had suffered a fractured jaw in the attack."

Isaac Heeney is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks after damaging the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Melbourne at the MCG.

Isaac Heeney says playing alongside Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett in the Swans' forward line has accelerated his development.

"Its pretty surreal playing with the likes of Buddy and Tippo, I just play every game as it comes and kicking a few goals is a bonus," Heeney said.

"They've put their trust in me to know the game plan, and they encourage me to fly for my marks and crash in hard no matter where they are.

"From the weekend it showed that hopefully we can have a good bond up there."

Early favourite Isaac Heeney has officially entered the race to win this year's NAB AFL Rising Star Award, with the Sydney Swans youngster nominated for his standout round-three performance.

In the heat of a derby against crosstown rivals Greater Western Sydney, Heeney booted four goals, helped set up three more and used his 10 disposals at perfect efficiency in the Swans' 21-point win.

"I would never have expected this sort of start. I was stoked (to be nominated for the Rising Star)," Heeney said.

"I wasn't expecting it all and didn't think much about it. I'm just trying to get myself right after hitting that (goal) post on the weekend."

Isaac Heeney has impressed in his first 3 AFL games, averaging just under 15 disposals and 2 goals per game.

Swans coach John Longmire has praised Heeney's start to his AFL career, but has also warned the 18 year-old to prepare for some tougher times ahead.

"We know footy doesn't get easier, sometimes it can get a bit harder, but he competes every week and it gives him a real chance when he's able to do what he's able to do in our forward line," Longmire said.

"He's hard, he competes, he's composed as well, so not only was he able to hit the scoreboard tonight he was able to set a few up."

Isaac Heeney makes his AFL debut for Sydney at Stadium Australia with 17 disposals (13 kicks and 4 handballs), 3 marks, 7 tackles and a goal in a 12-point win over Essendon.

Isaac Heeney suffered through an April Fool's Day prank before being told he would make his AFL debut on Saturday against Essendon.

Heeney was initially told on that he had not been selected for the ANZ Stadium clash.

But co-captain Kieren Jack finally broke the good news to the 18-year-old later in the day.

Heeney has been named in the side for the season opener after overcoming knee tendinitis and impressing coach John Longmire during the pre-season NAB Challenge.

Isaac Heeney tallies 14 disposals in his NAB Challenge debut against the Brisbane Lions, and was one of the Swans' few shining lights in their 36-point loss at Coffs Harbour.

"It's really pleasing to see he can handle himself at the level," Swans assistant coach John Blakey said.

"I thought he was quite solid today. He was on limited time, but I thought he was quite solid and showed he's going to be a good player for us."

Sydney has closely monitored prized youngster Isaac Heeney due to knee tendinitis over the pre-season.

Swans coach John Longmire says he is confident the 18-year-old would be able to show his ability after gradually increasing his program.

"He's been building up to the point now where he's playing games, and he's doing really well," Longmire said.

"There's been a fair bit talked about him I guess, and he's certainly been used to push different arguments over the journey.

"But he's just one of our 44 players now, and we've got to make sure we develop him as we do others."

Isaac Heeney's mother feels "blessed" her son was part of the Sydney Swans' controversial academy, and his dad says there is no way the gun midfielder would be playing AFL otherwise.

Amid the maelstrom of debate that has engulfed their son, Adam and Rochelle Heeney say they have nothing but praise for the Swans, who have trained Isaac since he joined the academy as a 12-year-old.

"They've been fantastic," Rochelle said.

"They've never wanted thanks; they've just been really supportive of Isaac and us.

"They took him to Sydney to finish his schooling. It's made the transition to the Swans after the draft just like a little step in.

"He knows all the blokes, so it's just been easier for him."

Isaac Heeney says he wouldn't be playing AFL if it weren't for the Sydney Swans' controversial academy.

The prodigiously talented midfielder was rated among the top handful of players in last year's NAB AFL Draft, but under the academy system the Swans secured Heeney with their first pick, No.18 overall.

"If it wasn't for the academy I would be nowhere near where I am today; I'd be playing a different sport," Heeney said.

"It's been huge … having those quality coaches around – coaches like Jared Crouch and Josh Francou.

"(Talent identification and operations manager Chris Smith) has been massive as well, and also Paul Roos a few years ago, so the quality there's been incredible and it's got me up to the standard I am today."

Sydney Swans recruit Isaac Heeney will wear the number previously worn by his hero Ryan O'Keefe in 2015.

"It's amazing – it's always been my dream number to wear," Heeney said.

"Ryan O'Keefe was always my favourite player, so to have that number is an absolute honour and I'll do my best to have a career like his.

"Even if I could achieve just half of what he did in his career, I'd be absolutely stoked."

Sydney select Isaac Heeney from the Swans Academy with pick No.18 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.

"He's your typical midfielder, he's a good size, he's hard at it, he works hard, he uses the ball well in traffic and he's good overhead, so to get Isaac at pick 18, we're very happy about that," Swans general manager of football Tom Harley said.

Essendon snares highly rated midfielder Jayden Laverde with its second pick in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft after the versatile player slipped down the first-round pecking order.

Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro says the club is happy to have landed both Laverde as well as Kyle Langford in the draft with their 20th and 17th pick respectively.

"We were pleasantly surprised that Jayden was available," Dodoro said.

"We took a little bit of a punt. We probably went into the draft wanting Kyle Langford. We wanted to bank him because we have a very high opinion of the young man.

"We knew there was one pick between our pick 17 and 20 because Isaac Heeney was already at the Swans. So we took a gamble and this time it paid off.

"We got two boys at about 190cm that can play in a variety of positions and are really exciting players."

About a month ago, Isaac Heeney officially joined the Sydney Swans as an academy player. It had been a long time in the making.

Heeney joined the Sydney Swans academy as a 12-year-old in Newcastle, where he grew up around soccer and rugby league clubs.

Recognising him as a future talent, at the end of last year the Swans relocated Heeney closer to the club in Sydney, where he spent this season with a host family.

As debate raged through the year about the academy system and the priority access afforded to the northern-based clubs, Heeney simply went about his business to produce an excellent season.

The midfielder was awarded the Harrison Medal as the best player in division two of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, and continued in the same vein of form for the Sydney Swans' NEAFL side.