+34
Isaac Heeney has won his third consecutive Bob Skilton Medal as Sydney Swans best and fairest, despite being suspended and absent from the awards ceremony along with four teammates over a club standards breach.
Isaac Heeney has won his third Bob Skilton Medal in a row, claiming the Sydney Swans best and fairest award while suspended and absent from the ceremony at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday night.
Heeney becomes the 11th player in South Melbourne and Sydney Swans history to claim three best and fairest titles. He was one of five players banned from playing for the Swans for breaching club standards over late night partying at East Melbourne's Pullman Hotel following a match on August 16. The other four are Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice.
None of the five attended the awards ceremony after the club granted their request not to be present. The suspensions run until the end of the 2026 season. Police are separately investigating an allegation of sexual assault on the same night, with Heeney, Jordon, Blakey and Warner interviewed by police. No charges have been laid and the ABC is not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of the suspended players.
All five players were present in the hotel room at the centre of the allegation. Bice was cleared of any criminal conduct by Victorian Police last month, but the remaining four players are still persons of interest in the police investigation. The players have maintained their innocence and denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Swans Chairman Defends Eligibility Decision
In his awards ceremony speech, Swans chairman Andrew Pridham said the reasoning behind the club's eligibility criteria was two-fold: protecting the integrity of votes, and ensuring off-field matters were separate 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. The medals awarded tonight acknowledge on-field performance across the season.
Erasing a season of football after the fact would, in our opinion, be inappropriate and in excess of a sanction. Pridham said player conduct and performance are very separate matters, and that making the players ineligible would have been inappropriate and in excess of the sanction. These players are not here tonight, he said.
I want to stress not because we did not want them to attend, nor that they did not want to be here; they were very keen to be here. Rather, that they made it clear that they did not want their attendance to detract from the evening. He said the decisions to allow players to remain eligible does not diminish our concern and respect for everyone impacted by the incident.
Likewise, the players involved, we will respect and continue to apply the presumption of innocence. Pridham was applauded and one attendee from the back of the room called out, Absolutely. He also said, I respect that some people in this room and beyond may not agree with where we have landed tonight.
Heeney Wins Medal Despite Suspension
It has been very, very difficult, but let me be equally clear that these decisions to allow the players to remain eligible does not diminish our concern and respect for everyone involved in this. Votes for the Bob Skilton Medal are distributed by the team coaching staff based on player performance after every game, with each player eligible to receive up to five votes from a single member of staff.
Despite missing the last three games of the season because of the suspension, Heeney finished with 431 votes. The runner-up, awarded the Adam Goodes Trophy, was ruckman Brodie Grundy who finished on 400 votes, followed by the Peter Bedford Trophy recipient, Charlie Curnow, with 398. Of the five suspended players, Warner, Blakey and Jordon all finished in the top 10 in votes for the medal on Thursday night.
Heeney finished with the most Brownlow votes of any Sydney Swan with 26, putting him in equal eighth place. The five players involved in the Pullman scandal were also eligible to win the Brownlow Medal, awarded to the AFL best and fairest player, but the league banned them from attending the count in grand final week.
A news update on the Swans website in June, when tickets for the gala occasion went on sale, referred to the Bob Skilton Medal as being awarded to our best and fairest player. On Tuesday, an item with details of the night was loaded onto the Swans website, where the medal was described as going to the club most valuable player.
Grundy and McDonald Claim Other Awards
Also during the award ceremony on Thursday night, Grundy won the player player award, Logan McDonald received the player of the finals award, Jai Serong won most improved, while Will Edwards, who broke his leg late in the season, received another honor. Mills tore his ACL during the Swans remarkable qualifying final win against the eventual premiers, the Brisbane Lions.
He had acknowledged the pain of the Swans AFLW players in the days that followed the suspensions and apologised for the actions of the five teammates. In other club best and fairest results on Thursday night, Bailey Smith claimed his first Carji Greeves Medal at the Cats and grand final day hero Will Ashcroft took home his first Merrett-Murray Medal at the Lions.
Want-away Essendon skipper Zach Merrett made history with his seventh Crichton Medal, equalling the record set by Bombers legends Dick Reynolds and Bill Hutchison.
brisbanetimes 
smh:Heeney wins Swans’ best and fairest, club boss says players deserve ‘the presumption of innocence’ 
abcnews:Heeney wins Sydney Swans best and fairest award amid club suspensionThis story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Isaac Heeney Sydney Swans Bob Skilton Medal Pullman Hotel Scandal Andrew Pridham AFL Best And Fairest Sydney Swans Best And Fairest AFL Best And Fairest
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sydney Swans Refine Bob Skilton Medal Description Amidst Pullman Scandal ShadowThe Sydney Swans have updated the description of the Bob Skilton Medal to 'most valuable player' just before the club's best and fairest awards night. This adjustment coincides with ongoing scrutiny surrounding the five players implicated in the Pullman hotel scandal, who remain suspended and persons of interest in a police investigation regarding alleged sexual assaults.
Read more »
Nathan Cleary Wins First Dally M Medal as Tamika Upton Takes Third NRLW AwardPenrith halfback Nathan Cleary has won his first Dally M Medal, while Brisbane fullback Tamika Upton claimed her third NRLW player of the year award in four seasons.
Read more »
Isaac Heeney Wins Third Bob Skilton Medal as Swans Drop Best and Fairest Title After Hotel SagaIsaac Heeney claimed Sydney's club champion award in absentia after the Pullman Hotel scandal forced changes, with the club renaming the honour as most valuable player.
Read more »