Sydney Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice have returned to the club and apologised to teammates and colleagues after serving weeks-long suspensions for breaching club standards.
The five players appeared at Swans headquarters in Moore Park on Wednesday for the first time since being suspended following the club’s round 23 match against Essendon in August.
Each player spoke and apologised to staff and members of the club’s AFL and AFLW playing lists.
Heeney, the club’s vice-captain, was the only player to speak to journalists after the meeting.
“It was really nice to address the whole club,” he said on Wednesday night.
“I was thankful they could give us their time and understanding, so yeah, it was really good.”
Warner and Bice arrived together, followed by Heeney, Blakey and Jordon in the same car.
Warner, who was accompanied by a silent Bice, told reporters he was “just here for my exit interview”.
Asked if he was going to say sorry or anything at all, Warner said: “I don’t know.”
Heeney did not respond when asked if he had a message for fans.
The club-imposed suspensions are separate from a police investigation into sexual assault allegations. No charges have been laid, and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the five players.
All five remain contracted to the Swans. Blakey is signed until 2031, while Heeney and Bice are contracted through 2028 and Warner and Jordon through 2027.
Blakey has reportedly been seeking a move to a Victorian club, although football boss Leon Cameron dismissed the reports as “speculation” earlier this month.
The players’ return comes as the AFL’s free agency and trade period approaches, running from October 2 to 14.
Heeney and Warner were not invited to Monday night’s Brownlow Medal ceremony, although both remained eligible for the award.
The pair are also expected to be in contention for Sydney’s Bob Skilton Medal, which will be awarded after Saturday’s grand final.
Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich said earlier on Wednesday that the club was prepared to listen to the players.
“I want them to be themselves,” Pavlich said of what he wanted to hear from the players.
“I want them to come in and do what we’d normally do at the end of a season, which is, yeah, player exit meetings.
“If they’ve got something to say to their player group, if they’ve got something to say to the club, then we’ll hear them out then.”
Image: Fox Sports
