Isaac Heeney will call on his captains and coach to help settle any nerves ahead of his senior debut against Essendon on Saturday.
Heeney, awarded for an outstanding pre-season campaign, admitted to some pre-match butterflies when informed of his round one berth in a colourful meeting with coach John Longmire and skipper Kieren Jack.
“There’s a few nerves, I tried to work on that during the NAB Challenge,” Heeney told media before this morning’s training session.
“Nerves aren’t too good for me, I find, so I’ll try and settle that down and just enjoy it.”
Those looking on during the Swans’ three pre-season hit outs would have been none the wiser with Heeney looking composed and seemingly untroubled by the pace and physicality of the top level.
“Number one he’s a competitor…that’s what we love about him,” Jack said of Heeney.
“He’s a solid boy…a bit similar to Luke Parker when he was coming through.
“To push his way into an already decent side is a great testament to him.”
The 18-year-old, a QBE Academy graduate who was selected with pick 18 in the 2014 National Draft, averaged 16 disposals and showed plenty of poise to slot three important goals during the competition.
These numbers alone and his ability to slot straight into the Swans’ line-up went a long way in Longmire and Jack calling Heeney into the Club’s SCG Headquarters to share the good news.
Originally told he would sit out of Saturday’s clash at ANZ Stadium, it was Jack who couldn’t keep a straight face and let the youngster’s round one berth slip.
“It’s all a bit surreal,” Heeney said.
“It was an experience yesterday when John and Kizza (Kieren) called me into the office. They stitched me up at first and told me I wasn’t playing…Kizza cracked a smile and from there it was all laughs.
“It’s great to be named and I’m looking forward to playing a few minutes.”
Asked how he would settle those troublesome nerves, Heeney said he would look to Longmire and Jack for support.
“They take all the expectation off me,” Heeney said. “And knowing they have full faith in me helps.”
