ISAAC Heeney was "always a class above" but former Cardiff coach Brendan Bailey admits he still finds it somewhat "surreal" to see the Sydney Swans star in another AFL grand final.
For the second time in his young career Hawks product Heeney, now aged 26, will contest for a premiership at the MCG on the last Saturday in September.
It comes six years after Heeney's first appearance in a national decider and Bailey, who mentored the recently named All-Australian during both juniors and seniors, feels the previous visit should hold him in good stead this time around against Geelong.
"Second time around hopefully he's a bit calmer," Bailey told the Newcastle Herald.
"I think he's got significantly more experience now. He's not a 20-year-old anymore, he's one of the senior players in that group and he brings with him previous grand-final experience and plenty of other big-game experience.
"He'll be much more confident in himself, knowing his role and being able to perform his role in that team."
Bailey reckons Heeney, from the moment he arrived as a teenager in the Black Diamond Cup, was always destined for the big stage.
"He was always a class above. His ability to read the play and get into the right spots. And he was one of those players who was just in everything," Bailey said.
The former Hawks mentor also praised the off-field efforts of Heeney at his old AFL Hunter Central Coast club.
"The thing that's stuck in my mind, he's always been a terrific human," Bailey said.
"He still comes back to Cardiff football club during the season, says hello to people and signs autographs. It's all off his own bat. No one rings him, he just does it. It's a credit to him and his family."
Bailey said Cardiff representatives were expected in the crowd at the 2022 title showdown, making a "pretty special" occasion to see a Hawks player out in the middle.
Heeney posted a video on social media on Friday, showing family members sporting Swans gear on the banks of the Yarra River as part of the traditional grand-final parade.
