AFL 2026: Sydney Swans five will be denied entry to Brownlow Medal

The five Sydney Swans embroiled in the Melbourne hotel scandal will not be invited to the AFL’s coveted Brownlow Medal night.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were suspended last week for breaching club standards after a win over Essendon.

Victoria Police’s sexual crimes unit is investigating sexual assault allegations after the five players invited women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel.

There is no suggestion any of the five players are guilty of sexual assault, only that there is an active police investigation.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon fronted the media for the first time on Monday morning, declaring the players would not be invited to the event.

“The invitations for the Brownlow will be going out this week – those players won’t be invited,” Dillon said.

Collingwood star Nick Daicos is the runaway favourite for the Brownlow Medal, but Warner is in contention to win goal of the year, which is also presented on the night.

“They are still eligible for the Brownlow, but they’re under a club suspension which goes until the end of the season,” Dillon said.

Dillon opened the finals launch in Melbourne with a statement on the importance of respecting women.

He later conceded the incident had overshadowed the finals series but hoped the game would bring supporters together.

“I think it is a fair statement but what we saw yesterday is that how footy is a place people can come together,” he said.

“I think we’ll see that during the finals series, it’s a really serious matter being investigated by the police.

Sydney played its first game since the alleged incident on Sunday, defeating North Melbourne at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Swans finished second on the ladder and will host at least two finals, starting with premiership favourite Brisbane.