ISAAC Heeney “copped a little” for playing AFL in rugby league-mad Newcastle when he was a kid.
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Not any more.
The 20-year-old Swans midfielder is preparing for Saturday’s AFL grand final against the Western Bulldogs after a second award-winning season in the big time.
Heeney joins a select group of Hunter players to reach a grand final – Nelson Bay’s Craig Bird in 2012 and Troy Luff in 1996 are the most recent – and he is aware how significant his rise has been for the sport in Newcastle.
“I feel like I can make a good impression for the Hunter,” he told the Newcastle Herald.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s going to be a pretty special experience not just for myself but for Newcastle as well.”
The Cardiff Hawks junior paid tribute to his former Black Diamond AFL club as his “second family” and hoped his arrival on the game’s biggest stage would encourage young players in his home town.
“I hope I can inspire those little kids, not even just to know they’ve got a chance of making it, but just to play the game, especially in such a rugby league-dominated town.
“I did cop a little. It was never too bad because I played every sort of sport there was. It kept me from copping too much s---.”
Heeney has been enjoying a relatively relaxed build-up to the game in Sydney but expects the nerves to “kick in” when the team travel to Melbourne on Thursday for the grand final parade the next day.
I hope I can inspire those little kids, especially in such a rugby league-dominated town.
“At the moment I feel like I’ve been handling it all right. I’m just trying to take it as a normal game,” he said.
“Obviously there’s a lot more media around it, but at the moment I’m not feeling any different. I’m trying not to let it take advantage of me, I guess.”
Heeney won last year’s AFL Players Association rookie award and this year’s AFL coaches’ award for best young player.
He has been touted as a future great, especially after being one of the Swans’ best in last week’s preliminary final win over Geelong, but is trying to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground.
“I don’t believe it’s sunk in for me at the moment. I’m just trying to focus. I’m trying not to let it soak in until hopefully a win.
“The ultimate goal is to win that premiership. Individual accolades are good, but I’m trying not to put too much expectation on myself purely so I keep my form.
“It’s obviously not a normal game, but we’ll try and treat it as normal as possible.
“I try not to look at the expectation too much. I’m really just there to play my role for the team.”
