ISAAC Heeney might not be able to place his hands on a Brownlow Medal or even the Mark of the Year award this season, but the Sydney star dragged his side closer to a much bigger prize.

In one of the all-time great finals performances, the gun on-baller stood up in the midfield while the Swans were under siege, booted critical goals and pulled down a screamer to try to spark his side, then levelled the scores in the dying stages with a long bomb from the centre of the SCG. 

The Swans have made an art form out of giving their opponents a head start then chasing them down this year, but for three quarters it looked like even Heeney would not be able to lead them over the line. That was until enough his Sydney teammates, including the rest of the onball brigade, jumped on Heeney’s back for a final term surge to snatch a six-point victory from Greater Western Sydney.

As the Giants locked down on Errol Gulden, and Chad Warner took time to work his way into the match, Heeney was left playing almost a lone hand in the Swans’ midfield, gathering 15 disposals and four clearances through the first half. But it took a touch of class while Heeney was resting forward for the All-Australian midfielder to first ignite his team, as he comfortably took a one-handed mark when he could just as easily have grasped it with two. 

Heeney snapped the set shot from 20m out on a tricky angle to reduce the margin to 21 points and give Sydney some momentum to build on in the second half. It came from the Swans’ first and only mark inside-50 in the first half, while the Giants took seven grabs close to goal in the same period with Jesse Hogan grabbing a pair and booting two goals.

The all-action midfielder soon put fans hearts in their mouths as he climbed over Jack Buckley with a knee on the GWS defender’s shoulder to pull down a classic finals mark. Heeney could barely have been higher as he got hands to the ball then flipped forward just enough to avoid landing on his head.

The 28-year-old saved his best for not-quite-last, after Tom Papley beat Connor Idun in the air then handpassed to Heeney streaming through the centre square. With the forward 50 all but vacant he set sail with a bomb that bounced through to level the scores.

Sydney had trailed by as much as 28 points and not led since the four-minute mark of the opening term, but when Joel Amartey dribbled a shot through with less than two minutes remaining, Heeney’s work was all but done.

With 30 disposals – 18 contested – and three goals, Heeney proved the difference in the fourth final between the cross-town rivals, but the first the Swans had won.

Warner also lifted when the game was on the line to have 13 disposals and seven clearances in the final term, and much-needed support for Heeney to turn the game Sydney’s way.

The Swans have been sluggish starters all season and for the 14th time this year trailed at the first change, though it could have been much worse as the Giants fluffed their lines. Hogan booted the opening two goals of the game before Toby Greene and James Peatling both missed shots from inside 20m, James Rowbottom snapping a goal over his shoulder in between.

Tom Papley helped ignite the Swans throughout, first when lighting the touchpaper on a melee after a wrestle with Giants skipper Toby Greene on the brink of quarter-time, and it was little surprise when the livewire forward booted the first goal of the second term. 

Papley, in his first match since round 19, finished with 16 disposals and two goals including a crucial major in the final term to enhance his reputation as a big-game player.

As the Giants were coming to a standstill it was substitute Braeden Campbell who was able to keep Sydney moving, picking up nine disposals and booting a goal in little more than a quarter on the field. 

While the Giants will lick their wounds wondering how that one got away, the Swans will return to host a preliminary final against the winner of Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.