SYDNEY'S Isaac Heeney is hungry for more midfield time but admits he's not yet ready to go cold turkey and give up playing alongside superstar teammate Lance Franklin in the forward line.
Heeney started his career as a forward where his excellent aerial ability made him tough for opposition backmen to defend, and he booted 28 goals in his first full season in the League in 2016.
The 21-year-old is a natural onballer and started to edge his way into the midfield last season, and while he was expected to make it a permanent move in 2018, it hasn't happened yet.
Injuries have limited tall target Sam Reid to a single game this year, so coach John Longmire has stationed Heeney and reigning club champion Luke Parker inside 50 when they take a break from the midfield rotation, to give the Swans a marking presence to help Franklin.
Heeney told AFL.com.au that he had his heart set on spending more time up the ground this season, but with the changing interchange cap, the modern-day player needs to be more versatile than ever.
"Being around the contest and getting my hands on the footy is my favourite and although I've been a bit all over the place this year, I do ask 'Horse' (Longmire) to give me dual roles," he said.
"If you can kick goals you want to be a forward, but in this day and age he's hard to kick more than one or two a game.
"I look at 'Parksy' (Luke Parker) as bit of a role model for me in the way he goes about things.
"He's hard and tough when he's on the ball, yet he can go forward and leap at the footy and take a grab."
Pre-season knee surgery interrupted Heeney's summer, but in preparation for the 2018 season proper, he set himself a tough task during Sydney's match simulation exercises.
A fierce tackler and improving stoppage player, Heeney matched himself up on Swans captain Josh Kennedy and the experience looks to have worked wonders.
He's ranked third at the Swans for contested possessions and stoppage clearances this season behind two of the competition's very best in Parker and Kennedy.
"I'd go to 'Joey' (Kennedy) at a lot of stoppages and see how he went about things because obviously he's an elite midfielder," he said.
"It's all about experience and doing it on the training track for me.
"You can look at vision, but I believe you get so much more from getting out there and having a crack.
"That’s what training is all about and if he towels me up, he towels me up, but I'm only going to be better for it."
Heeney will match up on an under-strength Adelaide midfield in Friday night's clash at the SCG and coming off an outstanding game in Sydney's thrilling win over the Western Bulldogs last week, he's sure to be a handful for the visitors.
"I pride myself on being a one-touch player and I like to be clean in the air above my head and on the ground," he said.
"I feel like I've hit a bit of consistency which is good, so I just need to carry that into Friday night."
