The Sydney Swans have returned to the sphere for the primary time since an alleged sexual assault scandal engulfed the membership, with a sizeable crowd attending regardless of predictions of a supporter walkout.
Followers in pink and white packed into the Sydney Cricket Floor on Sunday because the Swans’ males’s aspect confronted North Melbourne in a high-profile AFL fixture.
Nonetheless, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Isaac Heeney had been all lacking from the line-up after the 5 teammates had been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season.
The gamers had been suspended after the membership decided that they had breached crew requirements by staying out late, consuming and bringing ladies again to the Pullman East Melbourne lodge within the early hours of Monday morning.
These club-imposed sanctions are separate from an ongoing Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault on the lodge. No fees have been laid, and all gamers have denied any wrongdoing.
Each day Mail doesn’t recommend any of the gamers had been concerned in wrongdoing, solely that they spoke with police in relation to the alleged incident.
The controversy sparked calls on social media for supporters to depart the venue after the AFLW match, however the threatened protest appeared to attract far fewer individuals than anticipated, with empty rows seen in a number of areas of the stadium.
Some followers nonetheless made their emotions clear, carrying placards and banners aimed toward protesting the lads’s crew.
Some followers to take to social media to encourage others to stroll out of the stadium after the AFLW match, nevertheless the quantity who adopted by was a lot smaller than feared, whereas solely a handful carried placards
Giant crowds donned pink and white to look at the lads’s crew tackle North Melbourne on the Sydney Cricket Floor on Sunday
One fan raised a banner that learn: ‘No extra d***heads please.’
The banner was shortly taken down by safety.
One other fan raised the poster: ‘Respect all ladies.’
A number of followers informed AAP they nonetheless supported the lads’s membership regardless of feeling upset in gamers concerned within the scandal.
‘We assist the membership wholeheartedly,’ Swans supporter Russell Le-Guier stated.
‘The membership itself is what that is about, not the person gamers, they’ll come and go over time, but it surely’s the membership itself that we assist.’
Rosalie Le-Guier stated she’d be cheering simply as loud, if not louder than typical when the lads took the sphere.
‘You don’t punish the boys in the remainder of the crew,’ she stated.
Rows of empty seats had been seen in a number of sections of the stadium
The variety of followers who left the Sydney Cricket Floor was a lot smaller than anticipated
The ALFW match drew in a document, with 16,672 followers watching from the stands
‘We’re right here to assist the membership. We’re right here to assist the remainder of the gamers.’
One other Swans fan, Kate Hipsley stated she wouldn’t be strolling out of the stadium.
‘So far as we all know, the lads enjoying within the males’s sport haven’t finished something fallacious and they are going to be hurting as nicely,’ she stated.
‘I don’t care in regards to the premiership – it’s extra essential than premierships – you take care of the the tradition of the crew, which has taken an enormous hit.’
Supporter David McGilchrist stated he was typically pleased with how the membership had handled the scandal, regardless of being upset.
‘I’m upset and I’ve bought a little bit of anger now as nicely of what’s occurred, however plenty of disappointment and big shock,’ he stated.
‘However I’m right here to assist the assist the women, the lads, the membership.’
The ALFW match drew in a document, with 16,672 followers watching from the stands.
Some had been heard chanting in assist: ‘Sydney, Sydney.’
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Nationwide Sexual Abuse and Redress Help Service 1800 211 028
