Former Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd believes the biggest questions Sydney must ask themselves internally now revolve around the culture of the club, how it degraded this far and how long has it been broken.
It comes after Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon were suspended for the remainder of the season after a night of partying that got so out of hand it blew up their season.
All five Swans players have been suspended for the remainder of the season. Getty Images
The Swans have strongly condemned the actions of the players, apologised to the alleged victims, who have made a sexual assault complaint to the police, and have said their culture has taken an enormous hit.
No charges have been laid.
However, Lloyd questioned if this was a one-off incident. He believes the leaders at Sydney need to take ownership of the drinking culture that he feels has become a part of the club.
“I think the senior core players are the most important people at a footy club for the standards that are set and what you look up to when you first walk in,” Lloyd told 3AW on Friday night.
“How they carry themselves, how they act and that can filter down in a positive or a negative way to you as a young footballer coming into the industry.
“With Sydney, I’ve heard ‘we’ve got a lot to rebuild with our culture’, but I’d love to ask them how their culture got to this point.
“How long has this been going on? Is partying like this and inviting girls back to your hotel room something you do three or four times a season? Have you been doing it for years? Is it only that you’ve been caught? Is this what you think is acceptable and the way you act towards women? Who do they think they are?
“You are no bigger or better than anyone else just because you kick a piece of leather around. Some get ahead of themselves in that regard.
“That’s what I often think about for me and why it was so important as a leader to set the tone when people first walk through the football club and the way they speak to the person who hands out their gear, the boot studder, receptionist, how they speak out on the field, it’s really important.
“That’s what I put back on Sydney. I would be shocked if that was the first time they’ve partied like that.”
In 2023, captain Callum Mills suffered a significant shoulder injury wrestling with a teammate during a drunken Mad Monday incident.
Swans captain Callum Mills speaks to media. Nine
Geelong champion Tom Hawkins was similarly scathing on Friday night, saying society has a long way to go when it comes to the treatment of women and AFL players have a responsibility to be leaders in that space.
“It’s been nothing short of a debacle, and I won’t touch on the alleged allegations of what went on, but it is becoming a bit of a societal issue, treatment towards women, in particular by men,” Hawkins told Fox Footy.
“So we’ve got a duty as a code and a responsibility as leaders within the game, particularly as players, to really try and champion that.
“You know, I’m a father that’s got two daughters, I’ve got sisters. So when I think about it through that lens, it’s really troublesome.
“I think they’ve been strong and confronted what has been the issues.
“I liked what Callum (Mills) came forward and said, but there’s still a hell of a lot to play out from a Sydney Swans point of view.”