Isaac Heeney

Last updated

Isaac Heeney
Isaac Heeney 2017.1.jpg
Heeney playing for Sydney in June 2017.
Personal information
Full name Isaac Heeney
Date of birth (1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Maitland, New South Wales [1]
Original team(s) Cardiff (BDAFL)/Sydney Swans (NEAFL)
Draft No. 18, 2014 national draft
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb)
Position(s) Forward / midfielder
Club information
Current club Sydney
Number 5
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2015– Sydney 180 (231)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 2, 2024.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Isaac Heeney (born 5 May 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing with the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League.

Contents

Early life

Heeney was born in Maitland, New South Wales to mother Rochelle and father Adam. [2] [3] He grew up in the Hunter Region. He received primary level education at Black Hill Public School in Black Hill. He then attended All Saints College. He began playing soccer at the age of 7 [4] and managed to kick 68 goals in 12 games. Shortly after he picked up a cricket bat and played an age level above his own. He had a batting average of 216. [5] He also travelled with his school to compete in a Sydney rugby league tournament and scored 5 tries in his team's grand final victory. [6] [7]

Heeney played his junior football for the Cardiff Hawks in the Black Diamond Australian Football League. A highly rated junior player, he joined the Sydney Swans' academy at the age of 12 years [8] before completing his education at Waverley College in Sydney while playing for the Swans Academy

Heeney later revealed he was the only student throughout his entire schooling that played Australian rules football and would have quit in favour of rugby league had the Swans' academy not existed. [9] He grew up supporting the Swans and idolised Ryan O'Keefe as a child. [10] Heeney is also an avid fan of the National Rugby League, and supports the Sydney Roosters club. [11]

AFL career

Heeney was selected by the Swans in the 2014 AFL draft. His selection was controversial in that the Melbourne Football Club bid their first selection, number 2 overall, for Heeney but under drafting rules at the time, the Swans were able to match with their first selection, which was 18th overall. [12] As a result of this, and the similar round based bidding process used for father–son rule selections, the draft criteria were changed to a points based system to provide for a more equitable outcome. [13]

Heeney made his debut for Sydney at ANZ Stadium against Essendon in Round 1 of the 2015 season. [14] He kicked his first AFL goal, which was also the match-winning goal and last in the match, late in the final quarter as the Swans came from 41 points down in the third quarter to win by 12 points. [15] Following a 4-goal performance at the Sydney Cricket Ground in round 3, Heeney picked up an AFL Rising Star nomination as the Swans got off to an unbeaten start in the 2015 season. [16] After a promising start to his season, Heeney suffered a knee injury in Round 6. [17] [18] He returned to the team in Round 17, kicking 2 goals and having an instant impact on the team. [19] Heeney played out the remainder of the season, including in the team's finals games. He was named as the Sydney Swans' rising star after kicking 16 goals and averaging 12.6 disposals. [20]

Heeney had a successful 2016 AFL season, playing every game except for rounds 16 and 17. Heeney set a new personal record for disposals in the opening round, collecting 23. [21] He had a breakout game in Round 4, kicking 4 important goals and collecting 18 disposals, [22] being named as one of Sydney's best on ground. [23] He had one of the best games in his career in Round 7, where he kicked a bag of 5, his highest goal tally to that point. [24] He received 3 Brownlow votes for his performance. [25]

Heeney suffered a season ending injury in the Swans' 8 point loss to Richmond in the 6th round of the 2020 AFL season, after dislocating and rupturing his medial ligament in his right ankle. [26] He had surgery soon after which kept him confined to a moon boot for a few weeks after the completion of the surgery. [27] He also underwent stem cell treatment to help with the healing of his cartilage that had been removed during the operation. [28]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2022 season. [29]

Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals  
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds  
  H  
Handballs  
  M  
Marks
SeasonTeamNo.GamesTotalsAverages (per game) Votes
GBKHDMTGBKHDMT
2015 Sydney 51416101205717767441.10.78.64.112.64.83.12
2016 Sydney 5242815218180398113921.20.69.17.516.64.73.85
2017 Sydney 5201613250161411100950.80.712.58.120.65.04.84
2018 Sydney 5221914248200448991110.90.611.39.120.44.55.07
2019 Sydney 5222615237204441126851.20.710.89.320.65.73.96
2020 [lower-alpha 1] Sydney 567753338629151.21.28.85.514.34.82.55
2021 Sydney 5213621222111333119411.71.010.55.215.85.61.98
2022 Sydney 52549282511594101171182.01.110.06.416.44.74.77
Career1541971231599110527047706011.30.810.47.217.65.03.944
  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Riewoldt</span> Australian rules footballer (born 1982)

Nicholas Fredrick Riewoldt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was the first draft selection in the 2000 AFL draft. He was the captain of St Kilda in 2005 and from 2007 to 2016. Riewoldt is a five-time All-Australian. He holds the all-time record for most marks in VFL/AFL history, surpassing Gary Dempsey in late 2017. He is a commentator for Fox Footy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Schneider</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1984

Adam Schneider is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Hill (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Josh Hill is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs and West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Dangerfield</span> Australian rules footballer

Patrick Dangerfield is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2008 to 2015. He has served as Geelong captain since the 2023 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Walker (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer

Taylor Walker is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a former NSW Scholarship player with the club, and was drafted with pick 75 in the 2007 national draft. Walker previously captained Adelaide from 2015 to 2019. He is Adelaide's all-time leading goalkicker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Jetta</span> Australian rules footballer

Lewis Jetta is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Swan Districts Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Reid (footballer, born 1991)</span> Australian rules footballer (born 1991)

Sam Reid is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted to Sydney with the 38th selection in the 2009 AFL draft, becoming a third generation footballer at AFL/VFL level. His grandfather Bruce Reid senior played for Footscray, his father Bruce Reid, for Footscray and Carlton and his uncle John Reid for Melbourne, Footscray and Sydney. He is also the younger brother of Collingwood premiership player Ben Reid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Fyfe</span> Australian rules footballer

Nathan Fyfe is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Fyfe is a dual Brownlow Medallist, dual Leigh Matthews Trophy recipient, three-time All-Australian and three-time Doig Medallist. He received a nomination for the 2010 AFL Rising Star award in round 9 of the 2010 season. He served as Fremantle captain from 2017 to 2022, becoming the second-longest serving captain in the club's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathon Patton</span> Australian rules footballer

Jonathon Patton is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Cameron</span> Australian rules footballer

Jeremy Cameron is a professional footballer with the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants from 2012 to 2020. Cameron has kicked the most goals (427) for Greater Western Sydney, and led the club's goalkicking in all nine of his seasons at the club, with his 67 goals in the 2019 home-and-away season earning him the Coleman Medal. He is also a three time All-Australian and won the Kevin Sheedy Medal in 2013. Cameron won his first premiership in 2022 with Geelong.

The 2013 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 89th season in the Australian Football League and 112th overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Hogan</span> Australian rules footballer

Jesse Hogan is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). A key forward, Hogan is 1.95 metres tall and weighs 100 kilograms (220 lb). He was a standout basketballer and footballer at a young age, representing Western Australia in both sports and played in the West Australian Football League colts competition with the Claremont Football Club. He was rewarded with All-Australian selection as a junior in the 2012 AFL Under 18 Championships and in turn, he was drafted by Melbourne with the second selection in the 2012 mini-draft, meaning he was ineligible to play in the 2013 AFL season. After a back injury ruined his 2014 season, he made his AFL debut in the 2015 season and won the Ron Evans Medal as the AFL Rising Star. In his first two playing years for Melbourne, he was the leading goalkicker in both seasons. In October 2018, he was acquired by Fremantle in a trade that sent him back home to Western Australia, however, after two unsuccessful years at the Dockers, Hogan was traded to Greater Western Sydney.

The 2015 AFL season will be the 119th season in the Australian Football League contested by the Sydney Swans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Papley</span> Australian rules footballer

Tom Papley is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted with pick 14 in the 2016 rookie draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Dunkley</span> Australian rules footballer

Joshua Dunkley is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Lewis Melican is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Sydney with their third selection and fifty-second overall in the 2015 rookie draft. He made his debut in the forty-two point loss against Greater Western Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground in round five of the 2017 season.

Connor Budarick is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Logan McDonald is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Sydney Swans with the 4th draft pick in the 2020 AFL draft.

Errol Gulden is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Gulden was nominated for the 2021 AFL Rising Star award and won the AFLPA best first-year player award in 2021. He was selected in 2023 All-Australian team and won the Bob Skilton Medal in 2023.

The 2023 Sydney Swans season is the club's 126th season of senior competition in the Australian Football League (AFL) and the 42nd season known as the Sydney Swans.

References

  1. Maitland's Isaac Heeney delighted to play bigger role in Sydney Swans' midfield
  2. Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney's character forged in adversity by David Sygall for The Age 9 May 2015
  3. Isaac Heeney still doesn’t know what happened to him after Hong Kong assault, says dad by NEIL CORDY for the Herald Sun. 22 October 2015
  4. Parkinson, Andrew (22 March 2013). "Fledgling Swan Heeney takes first steps to AFL". The Maitland Mercury. Maitland, NSW. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  5. King, Travis (16 February 2015). "Isaac Heeney 'just wants to play footy' as draft debate rages". afl.com.au News. Australia. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  6. Backyard bruises gave hard edge to Heeney
  7. Isaac Heeney 'just wants to play footy' as draft debate rages
  8. Twomey, Callum (9 November 2014). "18 days to the draft: Meet Isaac Heeney". afl.com.au News. Australia. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  9. AAP (22 April 2015). "Isaac Heeney feeling at home with Sydney Swans in AFL debut season". ABC News (Australia) . Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  10. Paolucci, Tanya (9 December 2014). "Five fits for Heeney". sydneyswans.com.au. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  11. "'When Buddy and I kicked nine' by Isaac Heeney". AthletesVoice. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  12. "Father Son and Club Academy -- Selections Used at Bidding Meeting for Players for 2014 NAB AFL Draft". afl.com.au News. Australia. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  13. "AFL Draft Value Index introduces points system for draft picks". ABC.net.au. Melbourne. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  14. Sygall, David (3 April 2015). "Sydney Swans rookie Isaac Heeney to debut against 'red-hot' Essendon Bombers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  15. Adaimy, Roje (4 April 2015). "Longmire applauds tough Bombers after win". The West Australian. Perth, WA. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  16. Pengilly, Adam (20 April 2015). "Sydney Swans rookie Isaac Heeney set to cross off another state after Rising Star nomination". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  17. Cordy, Neil (10 May 2015). "Young Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney sidelined for up to six weeks with knee injury". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  18. Nicholson, Larissa (9 May 2015). "Sydney young gun Isaac Heeney to miss up to six weeks" . Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  19. "West Coast vs Sydney - Player Stats". AFLTables. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  20. "Heeney wins Rising Star". Sydney Swans Media. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. "Sydney vs Collingwood - Player Stats". AFLTables. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  22. "Adelaide vs Sydney - Player Stats". AFLTables. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  23. Morgan, Kym (16 April 2016). "Match report: Crows defeat Swans in Saturday night classic". AFL Media. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  24. Curley, Adam (7 May 2016). "Match report: Buddy, Heeney turn it on as Swans dismantle Bombers". AFL Media. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  25. "2016 Brownlow Medal - Round by Round". AFLTables. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  26. "AFL 2020: Isaac Heeney suffers season-ending injury". Herald Sun. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  27. Waterworth, Ben (24 July 2020). "Swans star Isaac Heeney posts post-surgery video after nasty ankle injury". Fox Sports. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  28. Twomey, Callum (1 February 2021). "Heeney in race for R1 after 'pain in the arse' surgery ... literally". AFL Media. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  29. "Isaac Heeney". AFLTables. Retrieved 7 April 2021.