Player Watch #5 Isaac Heeney

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Isaac Heeney

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


 
Only goes missing really when in the midfield and gets a lazy when has to defend , ask touk Miller
 
I think there's a tendency to overemphasise isolated individual performances. I've come to the position where I think how individual players go are products of the systems and roles that have been allocated. It's not really meaningful to focus on one player's isolated performances without considering the context of how the whole team played.

For instance, we could be at the end of the game, look at the stats and see that Heeney has picked up 22 disposals, took 7 marks and kicked 4 goals. 'Wow, that's really amazing! Heeney dominated the game, what a superstar!' we think, but then we consider the context of the game and Heeney turns out to be our only forward target, we kicked 7 goals for the game from 60 inside 50s and lose by 40 points. It turns out that Heeney's hypothetical dominant game did very little to help the team's fortunes.

I would say it's a simplification to consider it incumbent on Heeney to lift his game to the level of AA as though it's some sort of litmus test. When we've had AA selections in the past [see Malceski, Richards, Hanners, Parker, JPK, Jack, Rampe] it has been a byproduct of us implementing an effective system, allocating them roles that suit their strengths, and them going on to execute their roles at a high level. How Heeney goes this year will largely be dependent on how we setup the game plan.

Ideally, we'd have a system in place this year that isn't reliant on certain big name players and one that allows the boys to play effectively as a unit. If Heeney has a season where he's getting 17 disposals and kicking a goal a game, being one part of a well functioning forward line. That would be a lot more beneficial than him getting named in the AA averaging 25 disposals kicking over 2 goals a game, but playing a lone hand most weeks.
 

Deccas

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Who was it who did the flick back down to Papley for the goal? It looks like wicks or gulden?
Mark of the week

Goal of the week
eyes:

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Who was it who did the flick back down to Papley for the goal? It looks like wicks or gulden?

On Nokia 7.1 using BigFooty.com mobile app
For the Swan Mark of the Week it was Reid.
For Goal, I thought it was Wicks but in caption it says " Some cracking lead-up play from Tom Papley and Errol Gulden give Isaac Heeney his first goal "
 

DeadlyAkkuret

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We should be able to hold the fort over the next month. It’s Giants, Suns, Cats and Demons. We can hopefully win 3 and be 7-1 when he comes back.

Still it’s terrible luck and I was enjoying see him in stunning form. There really is no match for Heeney in full flight.


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We should be able to hold the fort over the next month. It’s Giants, Suns, Cats and Demons. We can hopefully win 3 and be 7-1 when he comes back.

Still it’s terrible luck and I was enjoying see him in stunning form. There really is no match for Heeney in full flight.


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Hopefully he's back for the Dees game, four weeks from today makes it just before the Dees 🤞
 

Kapers

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There's a Herald sun article about what happened to Heeneys hand, anyone able to read.
 

bungee

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Knee tendonitis 2015 pre-season
PCL mid 2015
Broken jaw 2015 end of season
Knee tendonitis 2016 pre-season
Glandular fever 2017 pre-season
Knee surgery 2017 end of season
Concussion 2018 mid-season
Broken thumb 2020 pre-season
Ankle dislocation and medial ligament rupture needing extensive surgery 2020 mid-season with recovery into 2021 pre-season

This boy's had a bumpy run but he's starting to get back into top shape. I hope 2021 is a great year for Isaac and the Swans

Add Broken hand Rd4 2021 to the list

Crap. I wonder sometimes if Heeney is a bit fragile. Does he have hollow bones ? His ability to float in the air and overcome gravity's best efforts to drag him down suggests he may be part hummingbird.
 

bungee

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If they put a rod in it, will be back in a couple of weeks with a guard or strapping.


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Rampe tried to play on with a broken hand but it caught up with him
 
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