Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox has remained in contact with the five players suspended by the club, but admitted there is no clear timeframe for their return and their long-term futures in Sydney remain uncertain.
Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon were stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season, including the finals, after the club concluded they had breached its standards and behavioural expectations.
Cox said his conversations with the players had focused on their welfare rather than the police investigation into an alleged incident at the team’s Melbourne hotel.
“One thing I’ll always do is support my players,” Cox said. “I’m staying in dialogue with those five players whilst they’re away from the football club. I speak about their welfare, how they’re going and if we can support in any way.”
He stressed that he had not discussed the investigation with them and urged people not to draw conclusions while police inquiries continued.
“We need to get all the facts on that, before we make any assumptions,” Cox said.
The coach also acknowledged that there was no set date for the suspended players to return to the club, with discussions continuing between senior figures at the Swans.
“Things are changing by the hour and the day,” he said. “There’s no time frame on when they will return, we’ll just keep talking about it each day and assess the situation from there.”
Asked whether their return to the Swans this season had been ruled out, Cox said there was “so much at play” and that his immediate priority was preparing the remaining squad for its finals campaign.
Sydney, which finished second on the AFL ladder, is due to host Brisbane at the SCG on Saturday in a qualifying final. It will be Cox’s first finals series as senior coach.
