Player Watch #5 Isaac Heeney

[Kennedy Parker]

Isaac Heeney

Isaac Heeney

5

Isaac Heeney

Age

27

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.7

5star

M

4.9

5star

T

4.1

5star

CL

2.2

4star

D

14.3

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

4.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.8

3star

is a crowd favourite and one of the best young players in the competition. The QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduate won the 2018 AFL Mark of the Year award, was selected in the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 team in two of his eligible four years and played his 100th senior game in 2019. Heeney can be used in the midfield, forward line – where he booted four goals in star teammate Lance Franklin’s absence in Round 20 last year – or as a loose man in defence.

Isaac Heeney

5

Isaac Heeney

Age

27

Ht

185cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

7.7

5star

M

4.9

5star

T

4.1

5star

CL

2.2

4star

D

14.3

3star

K

8.8

4star

HB

5.5

3star

M

4.8

4star

T

2.5

3star

CL

0.8

3star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.4

4star

CL

0.8

3star

DOB: 05 May 1996
DEBUT: 2015
DRAFT: #18, 2014 National Draft
RECRUITED FROM: Cardiff (NSW)

Isaac Heeney | AFL

Follow Isaac Heeney's progress through AFL

www.sydneyswans.com.au

 

[caesar88]

Not a fan. Personally prefer him forward but I guess we'll see.

 

[Tedeski]

Heeney and Mills in the midfield! Who wouldve thunk it??

Paul Roos when he had ideas about an academy.

 

[Kapers]

Not a fan. Personally prefer him forward but I guess we'll see.

Must admit you had this opinion about Mills lol.

Although I also think he's an amazing forward, I also think his best role isn't necessarily always forward. I think 50/50 is his perfect position.

Probably could be moved where we need him. If he's struggling to find the ball move him up the ground, if we're struggling to find a target move him to the goal face.

Too much skill i one player lol

 

[Millky95]

Perks of a full time mid Heeney (other than him being a mid) is he can rest forward and be damaging.

Averaging 25+ touches and a goal a game please

 

[hairy biker]

Heeney off season notification pops up, immediate thought oh bloody hell what's happened to him now.

No injury and to immodestly quote myself from a couple of weeks ago "The ability to play him midfield and then swing him forward, (or vice versa) would I think, make him an even more valuable player (and benefit Isaac as well)."

I leave the thread content.

 

[the hypnotoad]

Heeney off season notification pops up, immediate thought oh bloody hell what's happened to him now.

No injury and to immodestly quote myself from a couple of weeks ago "The ability to play him midfield and then swing him forward, (or vice versa) would I think, make him an even more valuable player (and benefit Isaac as well)."

I leave the thread content.

comparisons to petracca are interesting
heeney is better in the air and quicker off the mark than petracca ... and from what longmire has been saying most of this year, it's really a matter of heeney being fit and avoiding injury so he can maintain fitness across a full season
and as was previously posted, the idea of him playing in midfield then resting forward, surrounded by franklin, mcdonald, amartey/mclean and papley would create nightmares for opposition coaches ...

 

[caesar88]

Must admit you had this opinion about Mills lol.

Although I also think he's an amazing forward, I also think his best role isn't necessarily always forward. I think 50/50 is his perfect position.

Probably could be moved where we need him. If he's struggling to find the ball move him up the ground, if we're struggling to find a target move him to the goal face.

Too much skill i one player lol

To me that just won't work. We've tried the 50/50 thing before and it just makes him good everywhere without being great anywhere. It's astounding that Horse has reached this decision when the very last game of the season, and all of Heeney's other best games for the year, saw him almost permanently forward.

It also almost certainly means another year on the wing or flanks for Rowbottom and Warner. So rebuild schmebuild.

As for Mills, I know I expressed similar reservations about his move to the midfield, but he was slightly different as I'd never seen him as a midfielder at all.I'd never watched him as a junior, so to me my only exposure to Mills was as a medium defender, and a very good one at that. I've seen enough of Heeney in the mids to have a fair idea of what he could be capable of.

 

[the hypnotoad]

To me that just won't work. We've tried the 50/50 thing before and it just makes him good everywhere without being great anywhere. It's astounding that Horse has reached this decision when the very last game of the season, and all of Heeney's other best games for the year, saw him almost permanently forward.

It also almost certainly means another year on the wing or flanks for Rowbottom and Warner. So rebuild schmebuild.

As for Mills, I know I expressed similar reservations about his move to the midfield, but he was slightly different as I'd never seen him as a midfielder at all.I'd never watched him as a junior, so to me my only exposure to Mills was as a medium defender, and a very good one at that. I've seen enough of Heeney in the mids to have a fair idea of what he could be capable of.

thanks, coach

 

[caesar88]

thanks, coach

You're welcome son.

 

[hairy biker]

It also almost certainly means another year on the wing or flanks for Rowbottom and Warner. So rebuild schmebuild.

To quote the AFL article;

"We'd like to be able to introduce Logan a bit more alongside Lance next year," Longmire said.
"We think the growth for him to come into the team is there and quite significant as well. If we can bring Logan into the team, Isaac can play a bit more midfield and vice versa."

The rebuild is a holistic exercise.
Heeney playing more midfield minutes may somewhat impact Rowy and Chad, but they can still play those wing/flanker roles and it potentially opens up more opportunities for Logan.

 

[caesar88]

To quote the AFL article;



The rebuild is a holistic exercise.
Heeney playing more midfield minutes may somewhat impact Rowy and Chad, but they can still play those wing/flanker roles and it potentially opens up more opportunities for Logan.

If they are key parts of the future midfield but they're getting less midfield time than previous years then that's not getting us any closer to the future.

 

[Nuggetz]

It could also mean that Parker/Kennedy will be playing less midfield mins, without having to impact the other young guys getting mid mins. Heeney has also played on the wing where he had a big impact. There's an infatuation with Heeney taking a speccy mark in the fwd 50 or kicking an unbelievable goal, which is great but imo he can offer the team soo soo much more. Clearly this change is injury dependent, if he's fit they'll stick with the it otherwise they wont.

Excited by this change and it'll be for the betterment of the team. Mills move to the mids was also doubted by a few people but it's been a big success.

 

[Mister B]

Not a fan. Personally prefer him forward but I guess we'll see.

Have said for a while I see him very much in the Ryan O'Keefe role of HFF rotting through the midfield but also capable of being a spare in defence if absolutely required. Think he has more natural talent but slightly less mongrel than R'Ok but both have massive engines.

 

[Punts]

Could possibly change his inconsistency

all for it

 

[the hypnotoad]

Have said for a while I see him very much in the Ryan O'Keefe role of HFF rotting through the midfield but also capable of being a spare in defence if absolutely required. Think he has more natural talent but slightly less mongrel than R'Ok but both have massive engines.

ask those blokes he dumps in tackles if he's lacking in mongrel
i loved o'keefe but heeney is a more naturally gifted player ...
you're spot-on about the engines

 

[rustycrate]

To quote the AFL article;



The rebuild is a holistic exercise.
Heeney playing more midfield minutes may somewhat impact Rowy and Chad, but they can still play those wing/flanker roles and it potentially opens up more opportunities for Logan.

I think it is the dumest thing to try to get more midfield into Heeney. Henney's greatest gift is his aerial marking. To me this is forward or off a wing. He scares the s**t out of defenders and draws defenders, He is a good foil for our KPDs.
Waste of space having Heeney with his head in a scrum when it should be up high looking for marks.
Mills, Rowbottom, The Chad cannot do what he does. Why have him crowding their space?
Heeney forward. Full stop or out on a wing taking marks.

 

[BloodySwan]

I think it is the dumest thing to try to get more midfield into Heeney. Henney's greatest gift is his aerial marking. To me this is forward or off a wing. He scares the sh*t out of defenders and draws defenders, He is a good foil for our KPDs.
Waste of space having Heeney with his head in a scrum when it should be up high looking for marks.
Mills, Rowbottom, The Chad cannot do what he does. Why have him crowding their space?
Heeney forward. Full stop or out on a wing taking marks.

I agree, Heeney as a forward is the best spot but Horse doesn't say they intend to play him midfield full time but closer to the last few matches where there is a split. His last 2 performances were 20+ disposals and 3-4 goals - I'll take that any day

 

[FreeAgent1]

His best is hybrid. Multiple coaches mentioned how hard he is to matchup on, get a back and then race to contest, gets handed over to a mid and then runs back to forward line… it’s a nightmare

 

[TheMase]

They had to move one of Heeney and Hayward out to make room for Logan, Buddy and a resting ruck/forward. Hayward hasn’t demonstrated a capacity to spend time in the midfield and Heeney does so this makes sense to me.

 

[Crust]

Heaney moving between mids and forward will mess with opposition structures and organisation.
hopefully this means Parker spending more time forward.

 

[Superstar swan]

Heeney has the ability to be a top 3 player in the league, he has no weaknesses and imo the best mark in the game.

Just needs to be able to sort his body out and tidy up set shots

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

If he has another level left in him we will see it within the next 2 seasons if not thats fine still a matchwinner.

Just needs to avoid getting freak injuries no somersaults or doing backflips in the backyard! Isaac!

 

[Indie_]

Heeney making a leap into being a top 10 player in the competition is clearly one of the conditions for the Swans winning a flag in the next few years. I'm all for a move into the midfield.

 

[GoTheSwannies]

Heeney will absolutely leap into becoming a top 10 player in the league. Top 5, top 3, and at his peak is a potential brownlow medallist, and absolutely a norm smith medal calibre player. And that's not even being overly optimistic, he has the attributes and the talent.

The only thing that has prevented him from hitting his peak was his injuries. As long as he has a solid pre season and stays healthy, I think he'll make a great leap in 2022, and will approach his peak in 2023 (then off course he'll continue to play at a consistently high level for the following 5 years before becoming a mere mortal again, albeit snagging a couple brownlows, a norm smith & 3 premierships along the way).

 

[the hypnotoad]

Heeney will absolutely leap into becoming a top 10 player in the league. Top 5, top 3, and at his peak is a potential brownlow medallist, and absolutely a norm smith medal calibre player. And that's not even being overly optimistic, he has the attributes and the talent.

The only thing that has prevented him from hitting his peak was his injuries. As long as he has a solid pre season and stays healthy, I think he'll make a great leap in 2022, and will approach his peak in 2023 (then off course he'll continue to play at a consistently high level for the following 5 years before becoming a mere mortal again, albeit snagging a couple brownlows, a norm smith & 3 premierships along the way).

a fair and balanced post