By Emma Kemp
Isaac Heeney is adamant Sydney won’t let eight years of losses to Port Adelaide play on their minds as the Swans prepare to host their bogey team with a place in the AFL grand final on the line.
Only Ken Hinkley’s side stands in the way of a trip to the MCG on September 28, and on the surface that appears to be a big problem indeed.
The narrative this week has focused on the Power having won the pair’s past eight encounters dating back to 2017.
But Port’s unpredictability has been underlined in heavy black marker this finals series. Having finished second on the ladder, four points behind Sydney, they lost at home to Geelong by 84 points and were promptly written off for the premiership.
They turned it around last Friday with a three-point win over Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval, producing a level of pressure and work rate that showed they are a side not to be underestimated.
That is especially the case for the Swans, who were infamously thrashed by 112 points just six weeks ago, at one stage during which Port held a scarcely believable 71-0 lead.
Heeney is fresh and ready to go against Port Adelaide on Friday night.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
“We need to get the contest right,” Heeney said of that round 21 game. “They beat us especially around the ball, and then in the air as well – they took plenty of grabs.”
But Heeney, who will run out for his 200th AFL game on Friday night, is choosing to prioritise short-term memory over a history he believes is not necessarily relevant in the circumstances.
“That was in the past, and we were a bit out of form at that stage,” Heeney said before he and John Longmire’s squad started training under lights at the SCG on Wednesday night.
“I feel like we’re back. The boys are really confident. We know our best holds up against anyone, and we’ll be ready to go. We know that they’re fired up. They obviously played off a bit of emotion last week.
“Each year you have a completely different team, so we don’t look too far backwards. We look at what they do – and especially their last couple of weeks coming into finals – and we won’t allow it to play on our minds. We move on from it, know that our best is up their with the best and there’s plenty of belief in this group.”
The other factor falling in Sydney’s favour is the fact that the Power have not benefited from the week off enjoyed by the Swans after they pipped the Giants at the death a fortnight ago.
The star of that show was Heeney, who was behind the freakish mark that inspired the six-point win at home and has ensured all eyes have been on him since.
The 28-year-old admits he has watched the replay of his game-turning leap “a few times”. Does he have another in him?
“I’m a competitor, so I want to crack in, and I want to be known as someone that doesn’t shy away from any contest and leads by example,” he said. “I’m not necessarily the most vocal around the group, especially in meetings. But on the footy field I feel like I can do that, and have the opportunity to be inside and have the first crack at leading by example. This year especially has been really nice, and I feel like I’ve been able to do it a few times.”
The biggest blow for the Swans is the loss of skipper Callum Mills to injury.
“He’ll be getting back as quick as he can,” Heeney said. “He’s never put his body in jeopardy, so to see him go through what he has this year hasn’t been ideal. His leadership, on and off the field, is second to none … and he’s going to be hard to replace, but we can do it.”