ISAAC Heeney says he'll be using a fresh wave of criticism on the eve of September to "fuel him" when Sydney takes on Carlton in next Friday night's elimination final at the MCG.
Heeney has been on the front foot in admitting his form in the first half of the season wasn't up to standard but despite an upturn in his output after the bye, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd says Heeney's performances in big contests have been underwhelming.
A 13-possession game without a goal in the round 24 defeat to Melbourne that prevented Sydney from hosting a final sparked the critique from Lloyd, who said on Channel Nine's Footy Classified that Heeney can't be considered a great player until he produces more in September.
"I don't miss much. It is what it is, and he can think what he thinks," Heeney said.
"I'll use it as fuel to show him and to prove him wrong."
After securing his first All-Australian blazer last year with a career-high haul of 49 goals, Heeney’s struggles mirrored those of the Swans early in the season.
He kicked just 10 majors to the round 12 bye as Sydney stuttered to five wins and six defeats, but as the Swans form reversed completely, Heeney became one of their key drivers.
The 27-year-old kicked 15 goals between rounds 17 and 23 as the Swans won six games in a row to mount their finals charge.
"It's been good. I obviously battled with my body and my positioning as well, getting thrown around the ground a fair bit," Heeney said.
"Then obviously just being able to find form as well. Numbers don't necessarily show impact, but I wasn't that happy with my first half of the season, the impact I had.
"But the second half, I feel like I've turned it around nicely and I'm back on track and having a real impact on this team and hopefully I can continue to do that in a good final series."
Regardless of whether one agrees with the Heeney criticism or not, there can be no disputing his level of importance to the Swans' forward line.
With Lance Franklin having left the building, the Swans' key forwards in Logan McDonald, Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean remain talented but raw.
Heeney and Tom Papley in contrast are the All-Australians in their prime and are adamant that they, along with the super consistent Will Hayward, will need to lead the way in attack against the Blues.
"I think they (the tall forwards) go into the game knowing their role and what they need to do for the team," Heeney said.
"Tom (Papley), Will (Hayward) and I can have that influence on these young fellas. Consistency is obviously a massive thing when you are younger."
The Swans stability across four quarters is their primary concern though, with Sydney proving to be the worst fourth quarter team of all top eight combatants.
The Swans have won just eight of 23 last terms this season and their 0.2 output to Melbourne's 4.3 in the final round at the SCG put paid to their home final hopes.
Heeney admits it's an area of focus across the week off before tackling the Blues.
"It's a bit simple, just doing what we've done for longer. It's just a matter of not lapsing in any way, mentally," he said.
"We're definitely not unfit. We're running games out nicely, but it's probably just adapting a little bit better in the last quarter and doing what we've been doing for longer."
The adrenaline of a final against Carlton at a sold-out MCG may assist Sydney's fadeout woes, as it tries to build on its end of season form and replicate its victory over Melbourne at the same ground in the first week of the finals last season.
"It's awesome. I feel very fortunate to be able to play at a club that's had such sustained success," Heeney said.
"I think I'm playing my 14th final, which feels amazing. And then you see other players like Patrick Cripps, this is his first ever final.
"I feel like we've timed our run really nicely. We obviously had a few ups and downs early, but we've come in with a bit of synergy, the back half this year. The boys are in form and we're playing some really good footy and feel like we can do a full quarter performance against Carlton."