Sydney Derby XVIII would end in heartbreak for the Sydney Swans, but young ruckman Hayden McLean says Isaac Heeney’s late goal “electrified” the team in the dying stages of Saturday’s match.

Heeney jagged his fourth goal of the game with less than two minutes left on the clock to cut the deficit to just three points, and while the Giants would stave off the fast-finishing Swans to clinch a thrilling two-point win, Sydney dominated in the shadows of the siren.

Sydney peppered the goalmouth relentlessly, and Swans fans held a collective breath as Sam Reid went within a split second of marking in front of the sticks, but the home side would hold on to claim a third-straight Sydney Derby victory.

In search of positives, McLean said Heeney’s late goal had instilled a wealth of belief in the team.

“That goal gave us a lot of confidence,” McLean told SwansTV.

“We knew if we kept going we could get over the top of them. You could tell they were getting a bit tired and we were really confident with our ball movement. That goal electrified us but we didn’t do enough in the end.

“It was definitely a hot footy over the last couple of minutes. The contest was red-hot, we held it in our front half and we had opportunities, but we just didn’t capitalise on them.”

Just two weeks after making his AFL debut against Fremantle ruckmen Aaron Sandilands, Rory Lobb and Sean Darcy, McLean met Shane Mumford in the cross-city clash, a Giant in both senses of the word.

The rookie-listed big man gave away 14 centimetres to Sandilands and 12 kilograms to Mumford, while the imposing duo are veterans of 268 and 185 games respectively.

But McLean, who arrived at the Swans as a pre-season recruit in March and is just 20 years of age, has relished the testing start to his career. 

“I just see it as a challenge,” McLean said.

“I’m getting a game, it’s a challenge I’m loving and I’m bringing my competitiveness. They’re big challenges but I’m definitely not shying away from them.” 

Adding to McLean’s storied journey is an injury-plagued 2019 campaign, which saw the emerging Swan miss six NEAFL games due to a knee complaint early in the season. 

But the former Sandringham Dragons skipper has since managed three senior games in absence of injured ruckman Callum Sinclair.

“The club has really helped me with my rehab to get to where I am now,” McLean said. 

“It’s surreal to be living the dream on the footy field and I’ve just got to keep going.”