Star Sydney Swans youngster Isaac Heeney addressed the media ahead of training on Thursday morning.

The 23-year-old will celebrate his 100th AFL match as Sydney squares off with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Here are some key quotes from the press conference.

Playing 100 games

“I’m pretty fortunate to have played a fair chunk of games early in my career. The wins from the team, whether it be the Essendon win (Round 14, 2017) or the 2016 Grand Final were both very special, as was my debut game. And now this weekend it’s not only my 100th game but James Bell’s debut, who’s one of my best mates. So that’s pretty exciting.”

Bell’s debut

“He’s put in a lot of hard work this year and over the last few years, and he’s only been playing football for four or five years. To be really close to him and see how emotional he was in the video of him calling his mum got me a bit emotional. It’s going to be a special weekend.”

Captaincy aspirations

“I think a lot of boys want to captain the club one day. Whether I stay in the leadership or not, I just love being around the club and being a mentor for the younger fellas. I’d definitely love to captain the club, but that’s down the track so I’m not thinking about that.”

Elite marking ability

“I’ve been working on my marking. I know marking is one of my strengths and it’s just about not shying away from it at training and not losing that ability. I was lucky to clunk a couple on the weekend and I will keep working on it.”

Missed shots on goal late in GWS clash

“It’s about working with Nick Davis and Steve Johnson, my momentum through the kick and figuring out the specifics of why I missed. It was frustrating, and if I had kicked two out of three instead of one out of three in the last quarter we would have won the game. I was pretty flat about that after the game, but of course the loss didn’t just come down to that.”

The pride Heeney and Bell find in being QBE Sydney Swans Academy graduates

“It’s amazing to be able to say we’re Swans Academy graduates. We both came through the Academy and also played other sports growing, and if it wasn’t for the Academy we probably wouldn’t be playing together on the weekend. The Academy has been amazing, and they gave us that pathway to pursue our dream.”

Tight bond with Bell

“We spend a lot of time together. We go fishing, we go swimming and we go surfing, so we have the same hobbies off the field. He’s also got the drive on the field and I love that about him.”

Bell as a footballer

“He’s a really talented player. He’s skilful and he’s quick and he’s hard – and that’s what’s got him a game. He’s become really hard over the last couple of months in the NEAFL and has been playing some really consistent footy. If his head’s up and he’s confident he’ll be running amok on Saturday.”