The Sydney Swans are preparing for the return of five suspended players who are expected to address the team’s playing group soon.
Swans coach Dean Cox informed the media that Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon, and Riley Bice will come back to the club for their end-of-season exit meetings starting Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, Cox arrived early at the club’s Moore Park facility, where Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich also spoke briefly with reporters.
“Look, it’s a natural thing that the players will come into the club over the next period,” Pavlich stated. “Don’t know exactly when that’ll be, given that the season’s now finished and player exit meetings are occurring.
“Don’t know exactly when that’ll be, given that the season’s now finished and player exit meetings are occurring. “And the players at some point will have a chat to the broader group and the club, but yeah, there’s no timeline.”
The five players have been absent from the club since August after being suspended for violating club standards during a post-match gathering at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne.
These suspensions are distinct from an ongoing police investigation regarding sexual assault allegations, with Victoria Police indicating that an update is not anticipated until late October.
It has been reported that police consider Bice a potential witness in the case, while Heeney, Warner, Blakey, and Jordon are still part of the investigation.
No arrests or charges have been made, and the players have reportedly denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Pavlich declined to comment on details about the five players’ return.
When asked what he would like the players to convey in their address, Pavlich said: “I want them to be themselves.
“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.
“I want them to be themselves. “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.”
