Heeney wins third straight Swans best-and-fairest award

Isaac Heeney has won Sydney Swans’ best-and-fairest award for a third consecutive year, despite being subject to a club suspension over a breach of standards. Heeney was absent from the ceremony as he claimed his third Bob Skilton Medal. Teammates Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon also did not attend.

The five players were banned from playing for the Swans after a late-night party at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel following a match on 16 August. Police are separately investigating an allegation of sexual assault linked to the same night. The ABC reported that no charges had been laid and did not suggest wrongdoing by the suspended players.

Swans chairman Andrew Pridham said the club had kept the players eligible because votes had already been cast before the incident and because the medal was intended to recognise performance during the season. “We do not believe it would have been appropriate to retrospectively remove votes that have already been cast owing to the subsequent incident,” Pridham said. He added that removing a season’s performance after the fact would be inappropriate and go beyond the sanction.

Heeney became the 11th player in South Melbourne and Sydney Swans history to win three best-and-fairest awards. Ruckman Brodie Grundy finished second and forward Charlie Curnow was third. Elsewhere, Bailey Smith won Geelong’s Carji Greeves Medal, Will Ashcroft won Brisbane’s Merrett-Murray Medal and Essendon captain Zach Merrett claimed his seventh Crichton Medal, matching the club record held by Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutchison.