Four of the five Sydney Swans stars involved in the police investigation into the alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel are reportedly poised to stay at the club.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon were last month suspended for the remainder of the 2026 season for failing to meet club behavioural standards during a night out on August 17.
They were found to have stayed out late, consumed alcohol and brought women back to the club’s hotel rooms.
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Four of those players are the subject of an ongoing police investigation, with Bice having been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
No one has been charged in relation to the incident.
It has already been reported that Blakey is seeking a move away from the Swans despite having five years left on his deal.
St Kilda have emerged as a potential trade option for the 26-year-old, who is said to be unhappy at his treatment by the club.
But Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph has now revealed Warner is “determined” to return to the club following his ban.
That is despite previous talk of a trade to Gold Coast, with his partner, Australian sprinter Ella Connolly, relocating to Queensland to train for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Ralph also states Warner is keen to “see out his contract” which runs until the end of the 2027 season.
And it is understood Sydney are also wanting the trio of Heeney, Jordon and Bice to remain with them moving forward.
The AFL trade period runs for nine days from October 5 to 14.
Heeney and Bice have contracts until 2028, while Jordon, like Warner, is off-contract at the end of next season.
The Swans are still awaiting the outcome of a police investigation into the incident at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne.
All five Swans players have strenuously denied any criminal wrongdoing, and no charges have been laid over the alleged assault.
News.com.au is not suggesting any of the men in the room engaged in the conduct alleged, only that it has been alleged.
Last week Swans midfielder James Rowbottom, who lives with Blakey, said he had not spoken with his roommate about the specifics of his situation amid reports he wanted to leave the club at the end of the season.
It has been claimed Blakey’s relationship with the club has deteriorated, with both parties understood to have become frustrated with one another since the events in Melbourne.