‘Must be furious’: Sad ripple effect of latest Swans controversy
Sydney is dealing with yet another scandal involving a star player after gun small forward Tom Papley was summoned to face court by NSW Police.
Papley was pulled over for a random roadside test and “allegedly returned a positive result for methylamphetamine”, according to the police statement.
Tom Papley (left) and Dane Rampe trudge off after a Sydney loss. Getty
A B sample was taken for analysis and the Swans don’t expect a result on that for four weeks.
The 30-year-old will also face court for driving on a suspended licence, following alleged unpaid parking fines.
Papley may yet get absolved by the B sample – as happened with NRL star Josh Addo-Carr recently – but already it’s another headache the Swans were trying to avoid following the Pullman Five scandal.
This is what it means.
Impact on AFLW team
The publicity surrounding Papley’s incident has yet again detracted from the achievements of Sydney’s women’s team, which is preparing to host an AFLW final at the SCG this weekend.
The Pullman Hotel scandal broke in the same week the women’s team was gearing up for a historic double header at the same venue in August.
While the women’s team had hoped to spruik the new game-day partnership with the AFL side in Sydney, the coach and captain were forced to field questions about what five of the men’s players had allegedly done in Melbourne during a late night of partying.
Victoria Police’s Sex Crimes Squad continues to investigated allegations of sexual assault. Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon, and now-North Melbourne signing Nick Blakey remain under investigation. No one has been charged and nine.com.au is not suggesting any of the players are guilty of a crime.
Those players fronted up and spoke to the AFLW squad in the wake of that scandal, and the club promised to do better for women within its four walls and in the wider community.
But Papley was splashed on the front page of Melbourne’s The Herald Sun on Thursday, ensuring coverage of women’s footy was once again relegated despite AFLW finals kicking off this week.
Swans superstar Chloe Molloy, the AFLW’s leading goal kicker this season, did a press conference on Wednesday. But by Wednesday night it was the men’s program back in the headlines, for all the wrong reasons.
Swans ‘culture’ takes another hit
Sydney prided itself on the famous Bloods culture instilled by premiership coach Paul Roos, as well as senior players like Brett Kirk, Josh Kennedy and Kieran Jack.
And while Swans chairman Andrew Pridham tried to defend it following the Pullman Five scandal, and has said the club doesn’t need an independent culture review, it’s safe to say the revered ‘Bloods’ era is now well and truly over.
“The worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is claim you’ve got amazing culture and claim you’ve got an amazing environment…,” former Adelaide player Josh Jenkins said on SEN on Thursday.
“At the moment, you can’t say that, you can’t claim that.”
While Jenkins noted Papley’s B sample may yet come back negative, the Crows great believes the damage has already been done.
Tom Papley of the Swans poses for a photo with fans. Getty Images
“In terms of reputational damage to the Swans and the individual... it is catastrophic,” he said.
“You imagine the Swans will have to come down hard because it comes at just atrocious timing.”
Fellow AFL great Kane Cornes agrees.
“A nightmare for the Swans to have to go through this not long after the Pullman Five,” he said.
Will the club come down hard?
Sydney drew a line in the sand when the club suspended all of the Pullman Five players for the remainder of the season, following the events of that fateful night out.
The Swans admittedly blew up their own season in doing so, after they had led the AFL competition for much of the campaign. They still made finals and won in week one, before falling short of Fremantle in the grand final qualifier.
James Jordon, Chad Warner, Isaac Heeney, Riley Bice and Nick Blakey were stood down by the Swans. Nine
They banned all of Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon, and Riley Bice for breaching club standards by partying late into the night. The punishment was separate to the police investigation into sexual assault.
But by taking that stance on the five players for staying up late and partying inside a hotel room, the club set a precedent when it comes to players damaging the red and white brand.
If Papley is found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs, while also having a suspended licence, the Swans will have no option but to impose a hefty penalty.
What it means for season 2027
Swans coach Dean Cox was already facing a monumental task to keep his side in a premiership window.
Superstar rebounding defender Blakey went to the Kangaroos during the trade period, key forward Joel Amartey shipped off to Carlton, veteran Harry Cunningham went to Adelaide, and fellow backman Dane Rampe retired.
On top of that, captain Callum Mills ruptured an anterior cruciate in the club’s incredible qualifying final victory over the Brisbane Lions and will miss most, if not all, of next year as a result.
Now Papley may be missing from the early rounds, too – and potentially permanently, subject to the results of the drug test – and suddenly a premiership-ready roster looks a little thin, despite the looming returns of Heeney, Warner, and Jordon.
The Swans chose not to bring in players during the trade period, but may have to look to the drafts.
The long-term Mills injury and the Rampe retirement also leave a dearth of leadership on the list.
Papley would have been a stand-in captaincy candidate, but will almost certainly be overlooked for that role now. The likes of Errol Gulden, James Rowbottom, and Tom McCartin are the three most likely to be considered for that honour now, perhaps in a shared capacity.
