The Swans abandoned the old-school script. What happens next will shape the club’s future

August 19, 2026 — 7:55pm

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Once the Sydney Swans recognised that there was far more at stake than the team they would field in the 2026 finals series, the decision to ban five key players for the remainder of the season became logical.

The Swans’ hierarchy made a principled decision, and their chairman Andrew Pridham and his chief executive Matthew Pavlich must be commended for that stance.

They read the play. The AFL was not going to tolerate anything less than a significant penalty, but the Swans did not need to be hectored, or pushed by headquarters. They arrived at that destination, themselves.

They could not address matters that involved the police and, from what this column gathered, they intentionally did not question the five on the specifics of what happened in the hotel room that prompted the sexual assault allegation and police investigation.

The focus was on the events and prior behaviour (said to be in breach of club standards) that led to that investigation.

They knew that the damage from those events was awful – to the reputation of club, the individual players and, regarding the later incident subject to the investigation, allegedly to the women concerned.

One could argue that if the ban reached three matches, then they might as well suspend the five for the entire........

© The Age