The Sydney Swans have returned to the field for the first time since an alleged sexual assault scandal engulfed the club, with a sizeable crowd attending despite predictions of a supporter walkout.
Fans in red and white packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday as the Swans’ men’s side faced North Melbourne in a high-profile AFL fixture.
However, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Isaac Heeney were all missing from the line-up after the five teammates were stood down for the rest of the 2026 AFL season.
The players were suspended after the club determined they had breached team standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.
Those club-imposed sanctions are separate from an ongoing Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel. No charges have been laid, and all players have denied any wrongdoing.
Daily Mail does not suggest any of the players were involved in wrongdoing, only that they spoke with police in relation to the alleged incident.
The controversy sparked calls on social media for supporters to leave the venue after the AFLW match, but the threatened protest appeared to draw far fewer participants than expected, with empty rows visible in several areas of the stadium.
Some fans still made their feelings clear, carrying placards and banners aimed at protesting the men’s team.
Some fans to take to social media to encourage others to walk out of the stadium after the AFLW match, however the number who followed through was much smaller than feared, while only a handful carried placards
Large crowds donned red and white to watch the men’s team take on North Melbourne at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday
One fan raised a banner that read: ‘No more d***heads please.’
The banner was quickly taken down by security.
Another fan raised the poster: ‘Respect all women.’
Several fans told AAP they still supported the men’s club despite feeling disappointed in players involved in the scandal.
‘We support the club wholeheartedly,’ Swans supporter Russell Le-Guier said.
‘The club itself is what this is about, not the individual players, they’ll come and go over the years, but it’s the club itself that we support.’
Rosalie Le-Guier said she’d be cheering just as loud, if not louder than usual when the men took the field.
‘You don’t punish the boys in the rest of the team,’ she said.
Rows of empty seats were seen in several sections of the stadium
The number of fans who left the Sydney Cricket Ground was much smaller than anticipated
The ALFW match drew in a record, with 16,672 fans watching from the stands
‘We’re here to support the club. We’re here to support the rest of the players.’
Another Swans fan, Kate Hipsley said she wouldn’t be walking out of the stadium.
‘As far as we know, the men playing in the men’s game have not done anything wrong and they will be hurting as well,’ she said.
‘I don’t care about the premiership – it’s more important than premierships – you care for the the culture of the team, which has taken a huge hit.’
Supporter David McGilchrist said he was generally happy with how the club had dealt with the scandal, despite being disappointed.
‘I’m disappointed and I’ve got a bit of anger now as well of what’s happened, but a lot of disappointment and massive shock,’ he said.
‘But I’m here to support the support the girls, the men, the club.’
The ALFW match drew in a record, with 16,672 fans watching from the stands.
Some were heard chanting in support: ‘Sydney, Sydney.’
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
