Sydney superstar Isaac Heeney will miss this weekend’s clash against North Melbourne and is ineligible for the Brownlow Medal after failing to overturn his suspension at the AFL appeals board.
Heeney was handed a one-match ban for striking St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster during the Swans’ thrilling loss on Sunday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Heeney’s high shot on Webster.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
They challenged the suspension, but it was upheld by the tribunal on Tuesday night.
They took the case to the appeals board where they mainly argued that the tribunal didn’t give adequate thought to whether Heeney’s strike could have been careless.
A slight change to the AFL’s match review guidelines in the off-season stated that fend-offs will likely be graded as intentional.
The AFL rebutted the Swans’ argument during the appeal by saying they simply didn’t like the clause rather than making any valid points.
Sydney also cited the controversial Charlie Cameron case from earlier this year when the star Lion’s charge was downgraded for a number of reasons, including his clean record.
Heeney has played 193 games and has only been fined twice.
“Mr Heeney’s is no different, frankly. If there is an intentional finding, it is the lowest scale of intentional,” counsel Duncan Miller said.
The AFL quickly challenged the argument saying that’s not for the appeals board to decide.
In closing his argument, Miller suggested upholding the decision would “wreak complete violence on the rest of the rules and guidelines”.
“It would mean a lawful action which might accidentally result in a strike would somehow automatically be deemed to be intentional,” he added.
But the appeals board dismissed the Swans’ case in just over 30 minutes.
More to come …