The five players suspended by Sydney for breaching club standards at the Pullman Hotel last month have returned to Swans headquarters for the first time since the alleged incident.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordan and Riley Bice were all handed club-imposed bans for the remainder of the season after the Swans’ Round 24 win over Essendon in Melbourne.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Pullman Five return to club HQ after hotel scandal
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An investigation by Victoria Police into the alleged incident remains ongoing, and the quintet had not been sighted at all until walking into Sydney’s training base just before 5pm on Wednesday.
A throng of media awaited as Warner and Bice, followed by Jordan, Heeney and Blakey, walked into the club for their exit interviews.
Warner said he was “just here for my exit meetings”, and added “I don’t know” when asked whether he was looking forward to the chance to apologise to teammates.
Heeney said he was “looking forward to addressing my teammates” but didn’t answer any other questions.
A decimated Swans outfit bravely fought on in the finals without them, producing a stunning 53-point upset win over two-time reigning premiers Brisbane in the qualifying final, despite also losing skipper Callum Mills to a devastating ACL injury in the first quarter.
Remarkably, Sydney nearly pulled off another miracle last Friday night, leading minor premiers Fremantle by as much as 28 points during the third quarter before being mown down in the last.
Earlier on Wednesday, Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich briefly answered questions as he walked into the club to conduct exit interviews.
Speculation surrounding the future of the five players has swirled since the alleged incident, with a disillusioned Nick Blakey in particular understood to be eyeing a way out of the lucrative contract that ties him to Sydney until the end of 2031.
But any club interested in luring one of the Pullman Five out of the Swans has been given a “buyer beware” warning, with a conclusion to Victoria Police’s investigation into the players not expected until after the upcoming trade period.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing from any of the players by 7NEWS.com.au.
