The Swans squad are reportedly anything but united on the back of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault following the team\u2019s win over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s 2026 premiership hopes went up in smoke this week as the club stood down Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner for the remainder of the season for breaching club expectations.<\/p>\n
Of the five involved in the alleged incident, Heeney is reportedly at the centre of the police investigation.<\/p>\n
None of the five players have formally been interviewed by police, but they have reportedly spoken to investigators as they investigate an alleged sexual assault. No arrests have been made nor any charges laid, with the exact circumstances of the incident still to be determined.<\/p>\n
News.com.au does not suggest any of the players are under investigation or implicated in any wrongdoing, only that they have been spoken to by investigators.<\/p>\n
But for the rest of the squad, they know they have to move forward and focus on footy, which is easier said than done.<\/p>\n
As they returned to training on Wednesday, notably the five players stood down were not in attendance.<\/p>\n
Before the session got underway, Swans captain Callum Mills addressed the playing group and staff, who stood shoulder to shoulder in a circle. <\/p>\n
Many players could be seen with their heads down listening to the speech from their skipper and coach Dean Cox.<\/p>\n
The usual jovial mood around training was anything but as the team prepares for the tall task of a finals footy campaign without several of their stars.<\/p>\n
And while the Swans are presenting a united front, they are anything but, according to a report from Channel 7\u2019s Mitch Cleary.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich stressed his club was \u201cnot abandoning our players\u201d, adding the five that\u2019d been stood down would be allowed back at the football club \u201cat the right time\u201d.<\/p>\n
However, Cleary stated that despite the club\u2019s public stance, there was \u201ca strong level of resentment\u201d from teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough you\u2019ll hear over the coming days key personnel from the Swans say they\u2019re supporting their teammates and a wrapping of arms around these players, (but) I understand there\u2019s a strong level of resentment from the teammates,\u201d Cleary told Channel 7 on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a footy club that saw this year as one of redemption after two Grand Final defeats in the last four years. The players are severely upset and disappointed with their teammates as to the situation the entire club now finds themselves in.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also has legends questioning if the famed Bloods culture will ever be the same again. <\/p>\n
The club with the unofficial \u2018no dickheads\u2019 policy now faces a big task of rebuilding culture and deciding what happens beyond this season with the five players stood down for breaching club standards. <\/p>\n
AFL legend Matthew Lloyd believes the Swans will look to cut ties with some, if not all, of the five players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a fair punishment too. To be thinking that after a game of footy, with finals only a few weeks away, that you go out to all hours and behave in that manner, I think they couldn\u2019t play another game of football this year and the club did what they had to do,\u201d Lloyd told the Today show on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of moving on players, yeah. I just think they\u2019ve lost so much respect.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be staggered if some of those players, if not all of them, are (not) moved on at the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sydney premiership-winning coach John Longmire admitted the Swans\u2019 culture has \u201ctaken a big hit\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people, not just me but a lot of people, that have been involved in this club \u2026 for a long period of time have been really proud of that (culture),\u201d he said on Fox Footy on Wednesday night. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe culture of the footy club, it\u2019s taken a big hit. It\u2019s taken a big hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll take time for everyone to rebuild the trust in the football club, and that\u2019s what everyone intends to do, to get to work and rebuild the trust in the football club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former AFL player Mitch Brown also spoke out on the current Sydney Swans scandal, calling out what he describes as a deeply entrenched \u201ctoxic\u201d culture across the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re only measured on your performance. And that\u2019s a sustained culture, it\u2019s always been like that. So what happens is you can win a premiership and still have this toxic off-field culture,\u201d Brown said on 2DayFM Breakfast on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat that does is embedded in (players) that you don\u2019t have to prioritise respect for women to win a premiership. You don\u2019t have to prioritise any of that stuff to win. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got it all wrong. And then things like this happen and they keep happening. It\u2019s just an example but it\u2019s happening everywhere, all around Australia and not just in professional settings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club is also dealing with threats from fans that they could walk out of the ground following the AFLW game this weekend. <\/p>\n
The Swans men\u2019s team will face North Melbourne after the women\u2019s team take on Essendon in a double header on Sunday afternoon and Sydney CEO Matthew Pavlich has urged members to continue to support both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep supporting us,\u201d Pavlich told Today.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re sorry that we\u2019re putting you all through this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Swans squad are reportedly anything but united on the back of an investigation into an alleged 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