Sydney stars Isaac Heeney and Nick Blakey were seen by fans knocking back drinks after 4am on Sunday morning at the Black Bull on Hindley St following the side’s thrilling three-point win over Port Adelaide on June 13.
Both Heeney and Blakey were happy to pose for photos with fans in the Stables Beer Garden of the hotel, despite the late hour.
The pair, who were out with an entourage of four or five people, appeared in good spirits, according to a fan who snapped selfies with them.
“They were nice and friendly, although Heeney asked me not to use the flash when I was taking the picture,” the fan, who asked not to be named, told The Advertiser.
The Advertiser understands the players were still partying at 4.30am at the Black Bull, well past SA’s 3am lockout laws, which restrict entry to other pubs and clubs.
Players reportedly spotted were Heeney, Blakey and teammates Joel Amartey and SA talent Matthew Roberts.
Another patron told The Advertiser that while some of the players appeared inebriated and were regularly drinking alcohol, they were respectful and interacted with female and male fans without incident.
The Hindley St night out coincided with a 12-day break between matches for Sydney, who had a bye the following week before playing Brisbane on June 25.
It is not uncommon for AFL players to have nights out following a match when the team has a seven-day break or more between games.
Champion midfielder Heeney and dashing defender Blakey, along with teammates Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon have been banned for the rest of the season following the incident in a Melbourne hotel room, where an alleged sexual assault is said to have occurred in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Swans were in Melbourne on Sunday night to play Essendon and could not fly back to Sydney because of an airport curfew.
Several players carried on drinking well into the morning before returning to the Pullman Hotel where it is alleged they organised for adult entertainers to join them.
A lawyer representing the women involved claims that roughly nine or ten men were in the room at different times as people came and went.
The Swans have denied other representatives of the club were present.
Claims have also emerged that there were illegal drugs in the room.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Swans head coach Dean Cox was asked directly about who was in the room.
Cox said he “wasn’t in the room”, but would not elaborate when asked if other staff members were in the room.
When asked if any Swans staff members were in the room, Cox said: “That’s a police investigation.”
It is reported that Heeney is at the centre of the alleged sexual assault investigation but no arrests or charges have been laid and he has not yet been formally interviewed by police.