Swans players to return to the club for first time since suspension

Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon will return to the club’s Moore Park headquarters on Wednesday – five weeks after they were stood down for a late-night incident in Melbourne.

The five players were suspended by the Swans for the rest of the AFL season for breaching the club’s standards last month after their side’s win over Essendon. They will make their return to Swans HQ on Wednesday for routine end-of-season exit meetings.

The Swans’ club-imposed suspensions were separate from a Victoria Police investigation into allegations of sexual assault at the Pullman. No charges have been laid.

Swans coach Dean Cox and chief executive Matthew Pavlich confirmed the news at Moore Park on Wednesday morning.

“It’s a natural thing the players will come in,” Pavlich said.

“We have our exit meetings and the players will come in. The players at some point will have a chat to the broader group and the club.

“I want them to be themselves and I want them to come and do what they normally do – their player exit meetings.”

The meetings are end-of-season reviews, typically held between coaching staff and individual players.

AFL chief operating officer Tom Harley said the league was not yet involved in how the Swans handled the five players.

“Obviously, the Swans were knocked out for the preliminary final on Friday night, and they have their exit [meetings] this week. I’m not across the specific details of the conversations that they’re having,” he said.

“It’s still clearly a legal matter, and whilst it’s in the hands of the police, it remains there. And so, how that plays out up in Sydney will play out, and from an AFL point of view, we’re not involved in that.”

Harley said the Swans would have the final say on when the players returned to pre-season training, should they still be at the club after the trade period.

“The legal process will play out late October, and there’s, obviously, a lot that has to happen between now and then. But that’s really a question for the Swans,” he said.

The suspended players were also banned from attending the Brownlow count – even though they were eligible to win the award. Heeney collected 26 votes on Monday night, with Collingwood favourite Nick Daicos winning the prestigious medal by a landslide with a record 47 votes.

Warner, Blakey and Bice also received votes throughout the night.

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Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.

Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.