"Embarrassing": Heeney opens up on '24 Grand Final demolition

Are the Sydney Swans in position to compete once again in 2026?

While many credit the acquisition of Charlie Curnow as the major needle mover for last year’s 10th-placed side, the Swans come pre-built for September charges, as has been the case on numerous occasions in recent history.

Led by the likes of Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Tom Papley and Errol Gulden, Sydney were in contention over the course of three seasons, losing the Grand Final in 2022, knocked out early in 2023 before returning and once again losing the Grand Final in 2024.

It was that defeat on the final day of ’24 that left its mark, with the club suffering the ultimate hangover off the back of their 60-120 loss to the Brisbane Lions.

Under new coach Dean Cox, the Swans entered an injury plague, losing Gulden to an ankle break over pre-season in what would be the first of a significant wave.

A disastrous start to the season eliminated the club from finals contention after just 12 rounds in a campaign that would see Gulden, Logan McDonald, Callum Mills, Tom Papley, Joel Amartey and Taylor Adams combine for just 45 games of a possible 138.

As Isaac Heeney explains, the after-effects of a Grand Final smashing transcend what many would typically assume.

“It was the third time for me, the fourth time for a few boys, and a couple of times for a lot of them that we had gotten to the Grand Final, and not only lost, but it was a demolition…” Heeney told SEN’s The Run Home.

“It was borderline embarrassing. To get yourself to a position where… I believe we were the best team in the competition in 2024. To put in a performance like that, it takes a lot out of you.

“You then get a shorter break; you’re trying to play a bit of catch up. We ended up with injuries which then amplified out struggles in 2025.

“It makes you get off to a sluggish start. When you put so much time and effort in to fall short, it’s not the nicest of feelings.

“It takes a bit to get back, but that spark is well and truly back.”

Although the Swans missed out on a place in the finals, their poor start was quickly nullified in the back end of the home and away season.

Winning eight of their last 11, Sydney returned to the high level football on display in years prior, with Heeney stating that it wasn’t until midway through the season that the club recovered from their Grand Final shock.

“It probably wasn’t until the middle of the season (until we got back on track),” Heeney admitted.

“The perfect map is our form – we were very inconsistent at the start of the year. We had a lot of injuries… whether a bit of that hangover caused those injuries or put a bit of stress in the bodies (I'm not sure).

“When we started to get some key personnel back, we started to get into a bit of form and started to really enjoy that footy again.

“I know myself; I struggled with fatigue early in the year. I was proud of myself to be able to perform at a high level throughout the whole season, but especially when I wasn’t feeling amazing at the start of the year.

“I did a lot of work with the dietician and whatnot to get myself back and continue to play some good footy.”

Approaching 2026, Heeney is adamant that the Premiership feeling is back at the club, and key contributor to that feeling is Charlie Curnow, arriving from the Blues in great nick to patch a hole the club has struggled to fill since the departure of Lance Franklin.

And while Heeney admits that Curnow isn’t quite to the level of the great before him, his presence is sure to influence in the years to come.

“He is an amazing person, for one, which fits in,” he said.

“In an amazing culture, you want amazing people, and he slots into that perfectly.

“He just has that presence of a gun key forward. He isn’t quite at the standard of Buddy, but he’s got the presence that someone like a Buddy had.

“He’s a selfless player as well. I know we want him to be a bit selfish in the way that we want him to kick as many goals as he can, but the way he goes around dealing with the boys around him, especially in the forward line but also the boys in the midfield, has been absolutely amazing.

“It’s been nice to wax on wax off with him in the intraclub games.”

Sydney opens the 2026 season with a grudge match against the Blues on Thursday March 5.

Listen to the full interview below: