GWS Giants troll Sydney star Isaac Heeney’s suspension video
GWS has rubbed a little extra salt into Isaac Heeney’s wound after the shattered Swan released a video following his suspension.
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GWS has just fired another shot that is sure to add a little extra fuel to its next clash with the cross-town rival Sydney Swans.
This latest chapter between two teams that have a healthy dislike for each other began with Sydney superstar Isaac Heeney’s social media post late on Thursday night after his one-week ban was upheld by the AFL Appeals Board.
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In one of the higher profile AFL Tribunal cases in recent years, Heeney and the Swans took the defence of his strike on St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster as far as the competition allows.
That is partly due to the 28-year-old’s virtually impeccable record prior to this offence, his importance to the side and, perhaps most importantly, the fact he was the favourite for this year’s Brownlow Medal award.
Those dreams have now been shattered after Sydney was unable to overturn the charge, which was graded intentional, high contact and low impact after the Swans Academy product left Webster with a bleeding nose.
Shortly after the final decision was handed down, the Swans’ Instagram account posted a video with a message Heeney was keen to voice to the AFL community.
“Hey guys, obviously extremely disappointed with that result, yeah pretty shattering to be honest,” it begins. “But I just wanted to jump on here and give a heartfelt thank you.
“Obviously the show of support from the club here, from the top down, being (Swans CEO) Tom Harley, Horse (coach John Longmire), (footy manager) Leon (Cameron) and our lawyer Duncan (Miller), thank you guys very much.
“I also wanted to jump on and just say thank you so much to the support from the fans, the members and the wider community, it’s been truly incredible.”
Heeney then went on to insist he would do his part to make sure the rest of 2024 would be memorable for the ladder-leading Swans, currently the premiership favourites.
“I just wanted to also say that I can guarantee one thing and that’s when I’m back I’ll make sure I do this club proud, the supporters proud, my family proud,” he added.
“It starts this weekend. Obviously I won’t be on the footy field, but I’ll be there to support the boys and the coaching staff and the staff at the club here.
“And then obviously I want to flow on from that and make sure this year’s a special one.
“So thank you guys very much for everything and I’ll be back out there soon.”
Heartfelt stuff from Heeney, if not a little overly dramatic considering he was hit with a one-week ban and will only miss Saturday’s home clash with 17th-placed North Melbourne.
Granted, Heeney and supporters will feel a lot worse if he indeed finishes on top of the Brownlow count in September and is ruled out over a fairly innocuous incident, but there is still a lot to play out before that eventuates.
His message has received over a thousand comments, the vast majority hugely supportive of the blond star.
That brings us to the Giants and specifically their captain Toby Greene.
The 30-year-old GWS forward was also charged by the AFL for striking Carlton’s Brodie Kemp last Saturday, leading to a $3750 fine.
According to afl.com.au, that charge drew Greene level with former Carlton and South Melbourne antagonist David Rhys-Jones with an all-time record 25 charges.
Greene and the renowned GWS social media team took the opportunity to take a not-too-subtle swipe at Heeney and the Swans in their own video released to X.
“Hey guys, obviously pretty shattered to get fined again over the weekend,” Greene says.
“I just wanted to jump on here and give a heartfelt sorry to all the Giants fans and the wider AFL community, along with my family.
“I can guarantee one thing is that it will not happen again — that’ll be tough.
“And I’ll promise to pay the fine all by myself.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure this year is a special one. Again, thank you all for your support.”
Many of those reacting to Greene’s post enjoyed the cheeky swipe at the cross-town rival.
One wrote: “Haha, now that is some A grade trolling. Gold.”
Another stated: “This is fkn brilliant!”
A third wrote: “This wins the internet for the day.”
There were some that felt it crossed the line, however, including this response: “I’m a huge Greene fan and have a lot of time for the Giants — but this is pretty ordinary. Everyone knows that the frivolous suspension Heeney received has perhaps cost him the Brownlow.”
Sydney and the Giants have already played twice this year, with the Swans winning both contests.
If they are to meet in the finals series, with the Swans currently atop the ladder and the Giants clinging to eighth, it would surprise no one if this video stoush gets some fresh airtime or ends up on Sydney’s dressing room wall.
Originally published as GWS Giants troll Sydney star Isaac Heeney’s suspension video
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