Today the Sydney Swans announced Nike as the club’s official apparel and footwear partner across its AFL, AFLW, VFL, QBE Sydney Swans Academy and ARA First Nations Academy teams.

The partnership was lunched at a special event at Coogee Beach this morning, ahead of the 2026 AFL season opener against Carlton at the SCG, which is just 20 days away.

Midfielder Isaac Heeney addressed the media, and spoke about the countdown to Opening Round, the excitement of pre-season matches and being named vice-captain for season 2026. 

On the partnership with Nike

"It's been an amazing turnout, a one-club launch with Nike taking over all sort of four forms of the Sydney Swans, which is amazing, so the men's, the W, Indigenous Academy and the QBE Academy, so it's an amazing turnout."

On the excitement of playing pre-season matches next week

"It feels good, we're getting into games now, which is nice and I mean we've had a bit of an extended preseason, so it's been a lot of kilometres under our belt and in our legs, so we're pretty keen to start to get into some games and I mean that's why we train and put so much, I guess, blood, sweat and tears into it, is to play games with each other and we've got the Dogs next week, which will be awesome."

On being named vice-captain 

"It's exciting, yeah, I guess it's a nice little bit of confidence in me from the playing group and I don't think my role will change too much, it'll be good to support Millsy and hopefully he can stay on the track and he's doing really well at the moment and I'd rather him play a lot of footy and I can take a bit of the load there. So it's exciting, got an amazing group and I mean we finished 10th last year, so we've got a lot of work to do to get back into the eight and hopefully, I guess, push this year and we've got the squad to do it, we've got a healthy list. To be a vice captain and hopefully lead the group out, it's gonna be pretty, pretty exciting. It was a bit of a surprise, I've put a lot of work into that aspect and I'm not the most chatty bloke within meetings and around the club but if I can lead by example, that's exactly what I'll do and I feel like I've been able to do that and bring the kids along, so we've got an amazing group, like I said, and yeah, it's a bit of a surprise but it's exciting. It's pretty cool, two New South Wales fellas in the Academy and I mean, Milsy's been there for a long time now and he's one of the best, if not the best captains or leaders I've been under, so to help support him and do it together is something that I'm proud of, I know my family's really proud of it too and hopefully, I can do the club proud."

On whats driving him in 2026

"Good question, yeah, absolutely, that's what really gets me out of bed these days, I know it's, I'm 0-3 now in grand finals, it's something, it's a tough one, I look at it in a way that, gee, I'm extremely lucky to be at an amazing club, to be so successful, but I mean, the reason we play is to win premierships and to get so close and be so far away at the same time is something that definitely drives me and I'm looking forward to this year. I think we've got the group, we've got a group that's, I guess our mid-tier is really stepping up a level and the maturity of the group has really stepped up a level too, so I'm excited, I mean, we've got a lot of work to do, like I said, and finish 10th, but we've definitely got the group to do it, so, and that's what drives me for sure."

On his role in the upcoming practice matches

"You leave that up to the professionals, if they want to manage people, they do that, if not, then we go full steam ahead, and really knuckle in with our game plan, so, we'll leave that one up to Coxsey and their strength and conditioning, but we'll see what happens."

On the State of Origin game on Saturday

"Absolutely, I think, I grew up watching the NRL, State of Origin, and that was, I still watch it today, I absolutely love it, it's one of the biggest spectacles in Australia, and I think if we can get back to that level, I never watched AFL, I don't even know when the last State of Origin was, when was it, you know? I never got to watch it, see it, but I'd love to get it to a level like the NRL, and I'd love to play in it one day, but obviously I haven't got that many years left, so hopefully they hurry up and speed it up."

On Taylor Adams

"He's tracking good, he's tracking really good, yeah, he obviously had a bit of an Achilles problem, but he's back, he's nearly back to full training I think, which is nice, so he'll drip feed into that and hopefully, yeah, play some games leading up, but he's flying around at the moment, he's fit, he's one of the hardest working blokes I've ever met, so, you know, yeah, he puts his head on the pillow at night, knowing he's given everything."

On Dean Cox's second year in charge

"I think having Simon Goodwin and Jeremy Laidler come on board as well in the coaching aspects has really taken a bit of a load off Coxy as well, so he can focus more on the nuances of the game and the team, and sort of have Goody, who's come through with the way he articulates things, he's another level, I mean, he's an ex-coach, and the way he speaks to the boys, it's weird, it's such a learning, but also it's such a motivational way he says things. So having him on board helps Coxy out, and Coxys, I mean, when the stress really comes during games is when everyone gets tested, so we'll see how that goes, but yeah, everyone's looking great at the moment."

On who is impressing him this pre-season

"Yeah, there's a few, I think. We've got Riley Bice at the back lines flying around, hopefully Chaddy (Chad Warner) goes to another level, Errol's back with his leg feeling amazing and flying around, so I wouldn't say too many surprises, but everyone's stepping up a level and it's extremely competitive at the moment, which is what we want and we love, so yeah, it's exciting."