Swans star returns positive drug test during roadside stop

Sydney Swans star Tom Papley has returned a positive preliminary drug test after being pulled over by NSW Police, who sprung him driving with a suspended licence.

In a statement, the Swans said Papley was pulled over by police on Monday for a roadside licence check.

Papley was issued with a court attendance notice for driving with a suspended licence, due to an unpaid parking fine.

Papley then completed a random drug test that returned a positive preliminary indication. A second sample was taken for analysis.

The results of that second sample will not be received for at least four weeks.

The Swans said Papley informed the club of the matter "immediately". The AFL has also been informed.

It has been a controversial few months for the Sydney Swans, headlined by the scandal at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne in August.

Vice-captain Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were stood down from round 24 and the club's two finals for what the Swans termed a "serious breach of expected club behaviour and standards".

Those AFL-endorsed club bans were separate from the ongoing police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel. No charges have been laid and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of the suspended players.