DOB: 29 January 1979
MFC Debut: Round 1, 2003 against Hawthorn at MCG
Last MFC Game: Elimination Final 2005 against Geelong at MCG
From: Terang/Geelong Falcons/Essendon. Traded with selection #17 for selection #12 at the 2002 National Draft
Number: 1 (2003-2005)
Games: 47 (170 total)
Goals: 10 (56 total)
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 18 | 0 | 29 | 38.29 |
Heffernan began his career with the Bombers in 1997, and was one of their most important players in a dominant 2000 season. In the 2000 Grand Final he shut down Brownlow Medallist Shane Woewodin, but his 2001 campaign was marred by a knee injury. Heffernan played all but one game for the Bombers in 2002 but after a poor finish in their best and fairest, salary cap pressures saw him squeezed out of the club. Just months after signing a new three-year contract, he was traded to Melbourne along with National Draft Pick #17 for Melbourne's #12 pick. The trade prompted the AFL Players Association to introduce a rule that players couldn't be traded within 12 months of signing a new deal.
Debuting for Melbourne in 2003, there were no hard feelings over a 1999 incident where he was suspended two weeks for striking future teammate James McDonald. He played consistent football in his first season with the Demons, but finished the year with injury trouble. A broken cheekbone in Round 18, then an ankle injury the next week. Heffernan played one more game before ending his 2003 season two weeks early.
His 2004 season started disappointingly, and after missing selection in the opening round, it took him a month to break into the side. Heffernan missed the 2004 Elimination Final against his old side after being suspended for striking Eagle Daniel Chick in the Demons round 22 loss in Perth. He struggled to hold a place in 2005, only playing nine games. He played in the Sandringham VFL premiership side before being delisted. His old club picked him up in the 2005 Pre-Season Draft, and he played two more seasons with the Bombers before retiring at the end of 2007, aged 28. He then worked for three years for Deutsche Bank in New York before returning home. In 2011 he became a director of Essendon.
| Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
| 2003 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Match | Charge | Sanction | |
| Round 7, 2004 | Tripping | Not Guilty | |
| Round 22, 2004 | Striking | 1 match | |
Lists
Essendon
Media
Age - 15/08/2003
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