From football glory to police investigation: The 12 hours that changed everything for the Swans

August 18, 2026 — 5:00am

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Around 8pm on Sunday, Sydney had just locked in second spot on the AFL ladder. Their win over Essendon ensured they would play two home finals and only a dead rubber remained to complete the Swans’ home-and-away season.

As he fronted the post-match press conference, all coach Dean Cox would have expected in the immediate aftermath was a standard night for a footy club on an away trip: maybe a couple of beers, bed and a boring bus trip to the airport to fly home.

He even spoke to the club’s ability to handle surprises.

“One thing this football club has done really well over a long period of time [is] be ready for the unexpected,” he said, when asked about the possibility of assistant Mark McVeigh being appointed Essendon coach ahead of the Swans’ finals campaign.

Little could anyone have imagined that less than 12 hours later, police would be swarming the hotel where the Swans had spent Sunday night and five players – including Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon – would be caught up in an investigation into an alleged sexual assault. This masthead is not suggesting all five players are under investigation by police, just that they........

© The Age