Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney is out of the Brownlow race and will miss this weekend's match against North Melbourne after his one-match suspension for striking was upheld by the AFL Appeals Board on Thursday night.
The club made the decision to take the ban to the AFL Appeals Board following an unsuccessful attempt at downgrading the penalty at the AFL Tribunal earlier in the week.
Heeney was the fourth favourite for the most prestigious individual award in the game when he was reported for striking after making high contact with St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster in Sydney's loss last weekend.
The hit left Webster on his haunches with a bloodied nose as Heeney led for the ball and took an uncontested mark, and went back to kick a goal. Under new rules, high fend-offs away from the play are to be "usually" graded intentional due to the nature and potential to cause injury.
The incident was assessed as intentional conduct, low impact and high contact, which graded it as a one-match ban.
Heeney's 'good bloke card' couldn't even get him off as the Swans gun has never been suspended before in his career - he's had just two fines in his 193 games.
Heeney addressed the media following the decision and thanked everyone for their support during the week.
"Obviously extremely disappointed with that result, pretty shattering to be honest," he said.
"The show of support from the club here, from the top down being Tom Harley, Horse (Longmire), Leon (Cameron) and our lawyer Duncan, thank you guys very much.
"I also wanted to say thank you so much to the support from the fans, members and the wider community. It's been truly incredible.
"I can guarantee one thing and that's when I'm back I'll make sure I do this club, supporters, and my family proud."
The AFL Brownlow Predictor had Heeney leading for the honour with 22 votes, equal with Carlton's Patrick Cripps.
Heeney's 2024 season has been outstanding so far with the goal-kicking midfielder dominating and helping his side as they firm as a serious premiership contender.
His statistics this season are well above that of previous seasons which is why he shot into the Brownlow calculations early in the year, off the back of three best on ground performances.
Heeney has been averaging 25.8 disposals, 5.3 marks, 4.3 tackles and an impressive 6.2 clearances per game - he is ranked above average for everything but clearances which are ranked elite.
He is a special talent and has managed to set himself apart from other pure midfielders by scoring 23 goals in his 16 games this year.
Heeney's suspension comes just a couple of weeks after the two favourites for the Rising Star award, Harley Reid and Sam Darcy received suspensions in the same week for incidents that were considered by many to be borderline.
Players, fans and media have questioned the rules around eligibility suggesting it is time for the AFL to change the rules regarding the major awards.
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