Isaac Heeney has won Sydney’s Bob Skilton Medal as the club’s best and fairest, polling 431 votes despite missing Round 24 and two finals, espn.com.au reported. The achievement unfolds while a police investigation into sexual assault allegations continues to loom over the AFL club.
Medal Count Despite Absence
Heeney was absent from Sydney Town Hall on Thursday night after requesting to skip the awards ceremony. Despite missing the final round of the home-and-away season and two finals matches—which were included in the award calculations—Heeney finished ahead of ruck Brodie Grundy on 400 votes and key forward Charlie Curnow on 398 votes, according to espn.com.au.
Four of the five suspended Swans players finished inside the top 10 of the vote count. Chad Warner placed fourth, Nick Blakey took seventh, and James Jordon placed tenth.
Sydney Swans maintain voting criteria for Bob Skilton Medal
The Sydney Swans opted against changing the eligibility and voting criteria for the Bob Skilton Medal, following the AFL’s precedent with the Brownlow Medal, espn.com.au reported. Neither Heeney nor Warner received an invitation to the Brownlow ceremony.
Swans chairman Andrew Pridham addressed the criteria during his awards speech. He stated that the reasoning was twofold: protecting vote integrity and separating off-field matters from on-field performance.
"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, as reported by espn.com.au. "The medals awarded tonight acknowledge on-field performance across the season. In our view, wiping out a year of football after the fact would be wrong and go beyond a fair punishment."
Ongoing Victoria Police Investigation
The awards night coincided with an ongoing Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel. Detectives travelled to New South Wales in early September to interview four men: a 30-year-old from Maroubra, a 25-year-old from Paddington, and two men from Randwick aged 25 and 26.
Reports indicate the men interviewed were Heeney, Warner, Jordon, and Blakey, espn.com.au noted. No charges have been laid, and the publication explicitly noted that it is not suggesting any wrongdoing by the suspended players.
The five players—which also includes Riley Bice—served club-imposed suspensions throughout the finals for what the Swans termed a serious breach of expected club behavior and standards. They have since returned to club headquarters and individually apologized to teammates and staff following the team’s preliminary final loss to Fremantle.
Police investigation overlaps with trade period
Victoria Police flagged an eight-week timeline for their investigation on September 2, a window that overlaps with the free agency and trade period running from October 2 to October 14, espn.com.au reported. All five suspended players remain contracted for next year. Blakey is signed until 2031, Heeney and Bice until the end of 2028, and Warner and Jordon until the end of 2027.
While multiple reports suggested Blakey was seeking a trade to a Victorian club, Sydney football boss Leon Cameron dismissed those rumors as speculation in September, according to espn.com.au.
Isaac Heeney wins Bob Skilton Medal despite suspension
Why was Isaac Heeney absent from the Sydney awards night?
Heeney requested to skip the Thursday awards night at Sydney Town Hall, where he was crowned the winner of the Bob Skilton Medal, espn.com.au reported.
Which players finished behind Heeney in the Bob Skilton Medal count?
Ruck Brodie Grundy finished second with 400 votes, and key forward Charlie Curnow placed third with 398 votes, espn.com.au reported.
What was the nature of the club-imposed player suspensions?
The Swans suspended Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon, and Bice for what the club termed a serious breach of expected club behavior and standards following an incident at the Pullman Hotel, espn.com.au reported.
Have any charges been laid regarding the Pullman Hotel incident?
No charges have been laid in the ongoing Victoria Police investigation, which involves detectives interviewing four men in New South Wales, espn.com.au reported.
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