Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney on Opening Round, bouncing back in 2024 and the club’s new recruits

The Swans are keen to atone for a 2023 campaign that didn’t hit the heights they wanted – and their pre-season plans look a whole lot different this summer.

An earlier start to the season has Isaac Heeney excited for a massive 2024 at the Sydney Swans. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The introduction of the Opening Round concept by the AFL has forced the Sydney Swans and the other seven clubs involved to rethink their approach to pre-season.

The Swans will begin their 2024 campaign 11 days earlier than they did in 2023, and it has meant they have had a more intense first week of pre-season.

According to those close to the group, there was a noticeable difference in vigour in comparison to 12 months ago with how the Swans trained, particularly in their first session on Monday.

That extends to an early morning workout this Saturday where the temperature in Sydney is set to exceed 40C.

“It is exciting, it’s more the date for us,” Isaac Heeney said.

“It’s about two weeks earlier than every other season has started, so we’ve gotta ramp things up pretty quick and so the sessions before Chrissy are pretty solid at the moment.

“It’s solid, I’ll tell you that much. And the heat doesn’t help either. We’ll do some early training at about 7am, and hopefully, it’s not too hot by then. It’s full on.”

The Swans were put through their paces in week one of pre-season. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Fitness is set to be a key marker for the Swans after injuries plagued them last season.

While they turned things around and registered another finals appearance, there was still a sense that the group underachieved.

Heeney was one of several players who never quite hit his straps in 2023. He had a particularly slow start to the year with only 10 goals in the opening 13 rounds.

It’s why he is prioritising his fitness above all else to make sure he is at his best for the first game against Melbourne on March 7.

“Absolutely that’s the goal,” Heeney said. “You want to be fit and you want to go into the season feeling 100 per cent because once the season starts, you never feel 100 per cent.

“If you’re not feeling as good at the start of the season, you feel like you’re always chasing.

“That’s everyone’s goal. And it’s Horse’s (John Longmire) goal to get as many boys fit and firing so we have less opportunities to have niggles.”

Heeney is hopeful a focus on fitness will help him get back to his best in 2024. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Swans were criticised in some corners following the 2022 grand final for not doing enough to revitalise their squad. The same cannot be said going into 2024 with plenty of fresh faces in both the playing group and coaching staff.

While Heeney is one of the most senior players in the Sydney group ahead of his 10th season in the AFL, he’s looking forward to building on his own leadership style with the help of the new perspectives coming into the side.

“Having those players that have played in different teams, they’re similar experiences but slightly different,” Heeney said.

“To have their input and to learn as much as we can from them. And bouncing back and forth gives us a boost, the majority of us love change so it’s good in that aspect.

“The bulk of the squad has stuck together, but it’s been great to see the likes of Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams with their experience and what they’ve done at bigger clubs. It’s amazing to have these more experienced fellas come in and play some critical roles.

“With the Demons and then Collingwood, it’s two big games to start the season and we get to test ourselves against the best in the competition for the past three or four years. It’s bloody exciting.”