Sydney Swans alleged sexual assault: Will players miss out on AFL finals? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Several Sydney Swans players are under police investigation after a sexual assault allegedly occurred at their team hotel Pullman East Melbourne.
With only one round of the AFL home-and-away season remaining, Sydney’s players involved in the alleged incident face an uncertain future regarding their participation in AFL finals – pending the result of the investigation.
However, there has been a recent precedent involving an AFL player and a sexual assault investigation in the past 12 months.
The Sporting News looks at that story and how the AFL and the player’s club handled the issues.
MORE:Sydney Swans alleged sexual assault: Pavlich speaks, who was involved?
Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn misses entire 2025 AFL season
Geelong midfielder Tanner Bruhn eventually had sexual assault charges dropped in November 2025 after being charged by police at the start of the year.
With Bruhn’s name suppressed by a court order during the saga, the 23-year-old was forced by the AFL to sit out of the 2025 campaign with the result of the charges still pending.
The Cats listed Bruhn on their injury report as having a finger injury during this entire time.
In November 2025, the charges against Bruhn were scrapped after a key witness admitted lying in a police statement and under oath.
Bruhn has played 20 games in 2026, becoming a key fixture in Geelong’s midfield.
Will Sydney’s players miss the 2026 AFL finals series?
The future of Sydney’s players involved in the incident is completely up in the air while the police investigation continues.
The AFL do not have a no-fault stand down rule, like the NRL and Football Australia, and judges every incident on a case-by-case basis.
Once findings are made in the police investigation, the AFL and Sydney will decide if any action needs to be taken against the players.
Judging by the reaction of Sydney chief executive Matthew Pavlich, the club has already expressed their disappointment in the player’s behaviour before the investigation has reached any conclusions.
Bruhn’s story ultimately proves that an AFL player can miss significant amounts of football but might not actually be convicted of an offence in the end.