Key players interviewed by Swans as club suspensions loom

Key Sydney AFL players were quizzed individually by Swans officials on Tuesday as they face club-imposed suspensions of multiple matches over their conduct in Melbourne.

The five players who remained in Melbourne as the rest of the team travelled back to Sydney attended separate meetings with senior club and team officials away from Swans headquarters after driving home to NSW.

The meetings were to discuss the events of Sunday night and Monday morning, which led to a police investigation into an allegation of sexual assault at the Pullman East Melbourne which is being handled by Victoria Police’s sexual crimes squad.

This masthead has contacted the representatives of Isaac Heeney, Riley Bice, James Jordon and Chad Warner after two senior industry sources said they were spoken to by police after an allegation of sexual assault in the early hours of Monday morning.

This masthead is not suggesting any of the players are under investigation by police, just that they are assisting with inquiries.

This masthead also contacted a representative of Swan Nick Blakey, who denied Blakey was involved in the incident. But the representative confirmed Blakey had also remained in Melbourne with his four teammates.

Earlier on Tuesday, two senior competition sources told this masthead on the condition of anonymity that the players would be dealt with under the AFL rule that covers bringing the game into disrepute and conduct unbecoming.

However, late on Tuesday the league said that rule would not immediately be applied.

Instead, the Swans, who are deeply unhappy with the behaviour of the players regardless of the outcome of the police investigation, will handle immediate penalties for the players.

The players had been out drinking after Sunday night’s win over Essendon and returned to the team hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.

The AFL has the power to suspend the players under rule 2.3A, which prohibits conduct unbecoming or likely to prejudice the interests or reputation of the AFL.

Any immediate club or league action would be separate to the Victoria Police investigation.

A source close to the group of Swans players, but not authorised to speak publicly, said the players had been fully co-operative with the police probe.

They said all five had been prepared to speak with police on Monday, but only one was ultimately quizzed.