{"id":78841,"date":"2026-08-24T03:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T03:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78841\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T03:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T03:15:10","slug":"afl-boss-confirms-banned-sydney-players-blocked-from-attending-brownlow-night-but-still-eligible-for-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/78841\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL boss confirms banned Sydney players blocked from attending Brownlow night but still eligible for award"},"content":{"rendered":"

AFL<\/a> boss Andrew Dillon has confirmed the five suspended Sydney Swans<\/a> players will not be invited to Brownlow Medal night.<\/p>\n

But the quintet will remain eligible for the award, with Isaac Heeney in particular a chance to poll highly come next month\u2019s gala in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon were last week banned for the rest of the season by Sydney for breaching club standards.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

The AFL supported the decision and later confirmed the players would be ineligible for the All Australian squad and team.<\/p>\n

Heeney was likely to make the team while Warner and Blakey would have been in the mix to join him.<\/p>\n

The five players will continue to poll votes in the Brownlow count and remain eligible, with only on-field suspensions ruling players out of the running for the best and fairest award.<\/p>\n

They will not, however, attend the event in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe invitations to the Brownlow will be going out this week,\u201d Dillon said on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose players won\u2019t be invited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BannedBanned Swans star Isaac Heeney will not attend Brownlow Medal night despite being expected to poll highly. Credit: Getty<\/p>\n

Heeney has attended multiple Brownlow nights in Melbourne and finished equal fourth on 28 votes in 2024 before collecting 17 last year.<\/p>\n

Warner was on hand last year as he topped the Swans\u2019 count in 2025 with 21 votes.<\/p>\n

Dillon\u2019s press conference at the AFL finals launch on Monday was his first public appearance since the scandal broke last Monday.<\/p>\n

Declaring respect for women is not negotiable, the CEO started his speech with a strongly worded statement expanding on an AFL memo last Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been asked a lot in recent days, what message football should be sending young people and what we should be saying to our kids,\u201d Dillon said. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the answer is straightforward \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter who you are, it doesn\u2019t matter what you do, whether you\u2019re an AFL footballer \u2014 the way we treat women says a lot about who we are as people, as a community and as a game.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite simply, respect for women is not negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dillon added everyone involved in the game had an extraordinary platform and a responsibility to set the right example.<\/p>\n

\"AndrewAndrew Dillon speaks with the Pullman seen behind him. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n

Separate to the Swans\u2019 bans for breaching club standards, a police investigation into sexual assault allegations, related to what allegedly took place in a room at East Melbourne\u2019s Pullman Hotel in the early hours of Monday morning last week, is ongoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of the players have been arrested or charged and 7NEWS is not suggesting any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actions of five players have fallen well short of the standards our game expects and community deserves,\u201d Dillon said of the club-imposed bans. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there are players involved, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture. More importantly, there are women who have made a report to police and they should be shown care and respect. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are also families, staff, supporters, teammates and members of the wider community who have been affected. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis includes women who play, work and lead across our AFL and AFLW competitions and throughout our game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dillon again reiterated that the conversation should not be about what the bans mean for Sydney\u2019s finals chances. The Swans finished the season second, beating North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday in an emotion-charged match. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is not on the impact of last week on a club\u2019s finals prospects. It\u2019s on whether our actions reflect the values and expectations of our community,\u201d Dillon said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe actions taken last week by the Swans and the AFL demonstrate how seriously this matter has been treated. <\/p>\n

\u201cUpholding these standards matter, because football holds a unique place in Australian life. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings communities and it has the power to influence how people think, act and treat one another, and to bring out the very best in each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 with AAP<\/p>\n

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