Sydney star Isaac Heeney has revealed he dealt with a stress fracture in his ankle during the Swans' September series, which ended in heartbreak on Saturday at the hands of premiers Brisbane.
The Swans entered the finals as favourites for the flag and did their prospects no harm after a thrilling come-from-behind win over GWS in the opening week of the series, with Heeney leading the charge in the victory with 30 disposals and three goals.
He backed that performance up against Port Adelaide in the preliminary final win with 24 disposals and two goals to be arguably the best performer across the first three weeks of September.
The star onballer couldn't have the same impact on the biggest stage of them all however, with Sydney falling to the Lions in the grand final by 10 goals as Heeney was kept to six effect disposals for the afternoon.
He would play a season-low 62% game time in the season decider and was seen requiring medical assistance during the second half, with Heeney forced to spend extended periods looking to prove his fitness.
Sydney made their substitute change at half-time as they trailed by 46 points to Brisbane, with key forward Logan McDonald ruled out of the second half with an ankle concern he carried into the contest.
"He was a bit sore before the prelim final," coach John Longmire confirmed post-game.
"He had a bit of a sore leg, he obviously played well, but he was a bit sore today so he didn't have the usual impact."
Speaking after the Swans' grand final defeat himself, Heeney said he's been required to manage an ankle injury of his own over the past month, with surgery on the ailment a live chance for the 28-year-old.
"I had a stress fracture in my ankle for the whole finals series," Heeney revealed, per News Corp.
"So I've had to manage that and after the Port game I was pretty sore. I had to get through the week, I felt good going into the game and hurt it when I got run-down tackled late in the first.
"In the end it was too far a deficit and I wasn't moving well and they said 'you're done.' So that's frustrating itself as obviously we had Loges go out too and a few of the boys were pretty sore.
"I'll go see the doctors and scan it and we'll go from there."
The loss was Sydney's second grand final defeat in three years and fourth overall under Longmire, with Heeney having featured in the 2022 and 2016 losses to Geelong and the Western Bulldogs respectively.
Sydney will likely enter the 2025 season as one of the top rated sides for the premiership, with Brisbane a likely favourite for the flag while Hawthorn are expected to continue their rise back up the competition.
Next year will be Heeney's 11th season with the Swans, with the grand final being his 201st game in the red and white after joining the club as a product of their Academy in 2014.
