Alleged incident at hotel on Sunday night

[Merdo5555]

If, and this is a big if, no criminal charges laid can the players be reintegrated back into the team. This is an assumption/hypothetical scenario so I make no comment on whether it will happen.

If the conduct was not criminal it was still really stupid 2 weeks away from finals and not what teammates would expect/tolerate.

Is it redeemable from a teammates perspective?

I know individuals will respond differently, I dont think it will destroy the team but will we be looking at a very different team nest year under this hypothetical scenario?

What do people think?

[Merdo5555]

....and then get absolutely smashed by EVERYONE for not taking quick action by hiding behind a 'legal matter'.

You really don't seem to understand how society works these days.

Like it or loathe it, it's just the way things are. We don't live in the 80's anymore.

The club are looking at the big picture....rather than being myopic. Try it.

Should we just act to appease the mob because thats what society expects or should you try and take an unpopular principled stand. I said many posts ago, if its not deleted, that the punishment has baked into the entire episode and potential criminality. Im not saying it was necessarily deliberate but again if there was no inkling of criminality do with the suspension would still be rest of the season.

BTW I still think a suspension would be appropriate because their actions were stupid, immature and basically pathetic. If they wanted "entertainment" go and pay for it, its legal.

[liz]

If, and this is a big if, no criminal charges laid can the players be reintegrated back into the team. This is an assumption/hypothetical scenario so I make no comment on whether it will happen.

If the conduct was not criminal it was still really stupid 2 weeks away from finals and not what teammates would expect/tolerate.

Is it redeemable from a teammates perspective?

I know individuals will respond differently, I dont think it will destroy the team but will we be looking at a very different team nest year under this hypothetical scenario?

What do people think?

Far too early to know. Even the players won't have turned their minds to that question yet. Give it a few weeks (at the very least).

But I am sure the players involved - at least some of them - are very popular amongst their team mates (or were before Sunday night). For example, I've heard McLean state that Heeney is his best friend, not a combination I would necessarily have picked. But I expect Heeney has a happy-go-lucky charm about him that makes most people around the club warm to him.

For the older players, they will also be aware that their chances of securing a premiership before they retire are far stronger with Heeney, Warner and Blakey in the side than without. They may not rationalise it to themselves that explicitly, but there would be a huge amount of goodwill towards these players for what they've delivered on the ground.

If the Sunday events represent behaviour that has been going on for a while - just the late night partying, not any other aspects that may or may not have happened - rather than just a once off, it doesn't seem to have affected Heeney and Warner's (those two in particular) ability to deliver on field. And while they clearly enjoy the accolades, they don't play selfishly in a way that suggests they chase the glory ahead of the team.

I've probably written some of that in a clumsy fashion. Hopefully it makes some sense.

[Merdo5555]

I get very tired of reading comments like oh the players have let my kids down they were heroes.

I have to question why you would encourage your kids to idolize and worship footballers.

They have incredible athletic ability that allows them to earn alot of money. This makes them no better or worse than anyone else. I would suggest more realistic role models would be people they actually know so you have a chance to see whats beneath the slick PR campaigns.

[SwanSand]

Far too early to know. Even the players won't have turned their minds to that question yet. Give it a few weeks (at the very least).

But I am sure the players involved - at least some of them - are very popular amongst their team mates (or were before Sunday night). For example, I've heard McLean state that Heeney is his best friend, not a combination I would necessarily have picked. But I expect Heeney has a happy-go-lucky charm about him that makes most people around the club warm to him.

For the older players, they will also be aware that their chances of securing a premiership before they retire are far stronger with Heeney, Warner and Blakey in the side than without. They may not rationalise it to themselves that explicitly, but there would be a huge amount of goodwill towards these players for what they've delivered on the ground.

.

I think the issue would be how the players families and partners react to this. It adds a whole lot complexity to the relationships between players.
I think if the partying nature was well known by the players and no criminal charges are laid - it would be very easy to reintegrate.
If criminal charges are laid which I think to some degree the police are going to be under pressure too to look deep and hard at this, then maybe integration will be complicated.

[The Big Cat]

Caro has big news. Go to 3AW website.

[KSAS]

Find it sickening behaviour IF reports by AFL journos are true, that up to 8 clubs are making enquiries about our 5 suspended players whilst the police investigation is continuing. Blakey (contracted till 2031) apparently being the prime target.

Sickened not only by the opportunistic/vulturistic nature of it, but somewhat hypocritical when clubs (rightly) preaching sensitivity towards the alleged victims being the priority when questioned in media interviews.

Ch 7 have already decided to pull the "Unfiltered" interview Hamish McLachlan conducted with Isaac Heeney on the Saturday night before the Essendon game, ironically at the Pullman Hotel. Claiming it will never see the light of day.

Under the circumstances, i think the AFL should ban any club/agent approaches whilst the 5 players are suspended.

Heard Gerard Whately on radio yesterday mounting the case the AFL could the ban the 5 players for 12 months regardless the outcome of the police investigation, based on grounds they breached AFL behaviour codes in a work (AFL) environment and cases when they've previously done so.

Stressing Whately wasn't necessarily calling for the 12 month bans, but that the AFL may have grounds to do so. Makes it even more so absurd of reports of other clubs enquiries towards our 5 suspended players.

[Velour&Ruffles]

I’ve felt sick about this issue and am deeply concerned about the ramifications for our club.

How will it affect our club’s on field performance in the future?
How do our AFLW players and female staff and members feel about our club now?
Will we lose members?
Will big sponsors like QBE decide we’re no longer an appropriate club for them to support?

I feel that this issue is going to have a long-lasting detrimental effect on the club and that deeply concerns me.

However,………….

My Dad started taking me to South Melbourne games in 1961 when I was 4 and he taught me the values of passion and loyalty. I have loved our club ever since. And what has happened in the last few days hasn’t changed that feeling one little bit. No matter what happened Sunday night or how bad it was, I’ll be buggered if I’m going to let whatever a handful of players did affect the way I feel about my club.

I love the Bloods. Always will.

And when I’m carried out in a box at the end of my funeral, it will be to the tune of the Sydney Swans theme song.

Perfect summary of my feelings (other than that my dad started taking me to South games in 1972, not 1961).

[Velour&Ruffles]

Far too early to know. Even the players won't have turned their minds to that question yet. Give it a few weeks (at the very least).

But I am sure the players involved - at least some of them - are very popular amongst their team mates (or were before Sunday night). For example, I've heard McLean state that Heeney is his best friend, not a combination I would necessarily have picked. But I expect Heeney has a happy-go-lucky charm about him that makes most people around the club warm to him.

For the older players, they will also be aware that their chances of securing a premiership before they retire are far stronger with Heeney, Warner and Blakey in the side than without. They may not rationalise it to themselves that explicitly, but there would be a huge amount of goodwill towards these players for what they've delivered on the ground.

If the Sunday events represent behaviour that has been going on for a while - just the late night partying, not any other aspects that may or may not have happened - rather than just a once off, it doesn't seem to have affected Heeney and Warner's (those two in particular) ability to deliver on field. And while they clearly enjoy the accolades, they don't play selfishly in a way that suggests they chase the glory ahead of the team.

I've probably written some of that in a clumsy fashion. Hopefully it makes some sense.

Welcome back Liz. It's great to have your measured and thoughtful analysis once more.

At the risk of sounding a bit weird, I have long thought you had the best mind on this board and was missing your contributions, so 6 or so weeks back I asked AI (Gemini for memory) what had happened to you. It said that last year you had shared in a thread that you were battling stage 4 cancer. Given your long silence I feared the worst for you. So I was doubly pleased to see your name pop up again and I hope AI was hallucinating (which I find it often does).

[Roadrunner]

Perfect summary of my feelings (other than that my dad started taking me to South games in 1972, not 1961).

My feelings as well. Followed the Swans since 1959 together with my best friend and we went to the night games at the Lakeside Oval was the only ground at the time with lights!

For us oldies, the top 4 played the finals and the other 8 played off for the night premiership, which we won though I can’t remember which year.
Unfortunately it’s going to take time now to heal the wounds. Of course, we don’t condone any form of SA, irrespective of the circumstances. At this stage we don’t know what happened but the players should never have put themselves in that situation and I think we all agree with this.

The police investigation should reveal the severity of the SA, ( if indeed it happened) and then it will be up to the club and the players where it goes from there.
Whatever happens, let’s hope we can continue to support our club as before, because we have been through thick and thin together over many years and this is another test of our loyalty. I’m confident most of us will be supportive!

[SwanSand]

Heard Gerard Whately on radio yesterday mounting the case the AFL could the ban the 5 players for 12 months regardless the outcome of the police investigation, based on grounds they breached AFL behaviour codes in a work (AFL) environment and cases when they've previously done so.

Stressing Whately wasn't necessarily calling for the 12 month bans, but that the AFL may have grounds to do so. Makes it even more so absurd of reports of other clubs enquiries towards our 5 suspended players.

I doubt that the AFL will go down that route. Yes a certain ban and community service will be ordered. If a player who has not been charged has to face a 12 month ban, then Surely Geelong with systematic rorting of player contract for concussions will have to be banned for a couple of years. I am sure AFLPA will stop the 12 months ban on players that are not charged.

I agree It’s not a good look for AFL. But the only thing about work related digression would be that it happened in the hotel that was provided by the AFL. If some players are not charged and have not done anything criminal then the 12 months ban surely cannot hold.

[Dow]

Good statement by the Swans, no player has been interviewed by police and we have in fact jumped the gun and destroyed our season on our own trying to appease the media..... Bravo

If we didn't the AFL would have, better optics for the club if we are seen to be leading the way here. Regardless of the legal stuff, IF I had acted in the same manor on a business trip, I would of lost my job, so so far i reckon they have got off lightly

[Merdo5555]

A 12 month ban for non-criminal conduct, no chance, any further punishment would be a bit rich, unless charges are laid as they have already been banned for the rest of the season, embarrassed, humiliated and lost a lot of money already and into the future.

I have the horrible suspicion that if no charges are laid, or only against one player and they are at the lower end of seriousness this is going to be seen as a totally disproportionate response.

Of course this may all change if charges at the serious end of the spectrum are laid.