The best and fairest sits on a table, and a footballer waits to return

The medal sat on a table at Sydney Town Hall, gleaming under the lights, but the man who earned it was not there to hold it. Isaac Heeney, the Sydney Swans vice-captain, had been voted his club’s best and fairest player for a third consecutive year—a rare achievement, a testament to a season of brilliance on the field. Yet his absence spoke louder than any speech could have, a quiet acknowledgment that the path back to the game he loves runs through a door he must first close behind him.

Heeney’s suspension began in August, when he and four teammates—Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon, and Riley Bice—were stood down for breaching club standards following a night of partying at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. The club acted swiftly, ruling the players out for the remainder of the season, including the finals. A separate police investigation into an allegation of sexual assault from that same night remains ongoing. No charges have been laid, and the players have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The 30-year-old midfielder did not attend the awards ceremony on Thursday night. Instead, a pre-recorded video played on large screens after captain Callum Mills accepted the Bob Skilton Medal on his behalf. In the video, Heeney’s voice carried the weight of months spent away from the club he joined as a twelve-year-old. “When I was told about this honour, it was the first time I’ve smiled and felt positive about the future for a long time,” he said. “While I wasn’t able to attend the awards, I look forward to seeing you all again in person very soon.”

Heeney spoke of two families—the one in Newcastle, and the one at the Swans. To both, he offered gratitude. To his teammates, the AFLW players, and the staff, he offered an apology that seemed to come from a place deeper than public relations. “From the depths of my heart, I’m truly sorry for putting you through the extreme difficulty you’ve had to endure,” he said. “Every single day I was away from the club was heartbreaking, knowing that I couldn’t make a contribution. Every single day I think about what could have been.”

The numbers alone would have justified the medal. Despite missing the final round and two finals, Heeney polled 431 votes, comfortably ahead of ruckman Brodie Grundy on 400 and key forward Charlie Curnow on 398. Warner finished fourth, Blakey seventh, and Jordon tenth—four of the five suspended players among the club’s top ten. It was a reminder, if one were needed, that performance and conduct can occupy separate rooms, even when they belong to the same person.

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham addressed the matter directly in his opening speech. He said the players “strenuously denied” the allegations and stressed that ruling them ineligible for the award would have been “inappropriate and in excess of the sanction.” He reminded the room that the suspensions reflected only the breach of club standards, not any judgment on the police investigation. “All of us in this room have made mistakes at times in our lives,” Pridham said. The comment drew applause, and from the back of the room, someone called out, “Absolutely.”

Heeney is contracted to the Swans until the end of 2028. Warner and Jordon come off contract at the end of 2027. All five players are expected to return for pre-season training in November. Whether the police investigation concludes before then remains uncertain. Victoria Police have said the brief of evidence is expected to be handed to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the end of October. Legal observers have noted that charges may prove difficult to pursue, but no final decision has been made.

For now, Heeney waits. He waits for the legal process to run its course. He waits for the opportunity to walk back into the club that has been his home since childhood. And he waits for the chance to do what he does best—chase a ball across a field, in front of a crowd, without the weight of everything else pressing down on him. “I’m incredibly excited about what this group can do,” he said in the video. “I can’t wait to get back and train with the boys, get better, and attack next year together.”

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Sources: ABC News, The Age, Nine, The Mercury, Illawarra Mercury, Central Western Daily