Sydney’s ‘Pullman five’ are expected to return to the club this week and there is the possibility they will speak to their teammates before the players go on their extended break.
The five banned players — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice — have not been at the club since a police investigation started into sexual assault allegations following their Round 23 win against Essendon.
Heeney, Warner, Blakey and Jordon are still the subject of the investigation while Bice is now being treated as a witness.
The club suspensions are separate to the ongoing police investigation and relate to a breach of club standards.
No charges have been laid and 7NEWS.com.au is not suggesting any wrongdoing, however the allegations are clearly serious.
How the players will be integrated back into the club is still unclear. It is also unclear if they will have formal exit meetings.
Sydney’s season ended on Friday night at the SCG when the team lost a preliminary final against Fremantle in dramatic circumstances.
Against the odds and with captain Callum Mills also on the sidelines (due to injury), the Swans built a game-high 28-point lead, but just ran out of gas in the final quarter, falling 12 points shy of a remarkable grand final appearance.
It is also unclear if all five players will be at the club next year, despite the fact they are all under contract.
Blakey is considered the most likely to seek a move and has been linked to St Kilda and Gold Coast.
Warner has reportedly told Sydney he wants to stay at the club and not seek a move back home to Western Australia.
Warner, an All-Australian midfielder, signed a two-year contract extension with Sydney in April, 2025.
The deal, at an estimated $1.4 million a year, takes him into the restricted free agency window. He turned 25 in May this year.
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