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The press conference has finished up, so that's where we'll leave our live coverage. Thanks for being with us. Sport Sydney Swans ban Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon for remainder of 2026 seasonThe Sydney Swans say their willingness to "torpedo" their AFL season by suspending five star players proves how committed they are to upholding standards at the club. The Swans suspended Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season over an alleged incident at a Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning. At least four players were linked to an ongoing Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel, where the Swans were staying after their win over Essendon on Sunday night. It is not suggested that any of the players are being accused of sexual assault and none of the banned players have been formally interviewed by police, according to the club. Swans chairman Andrew Pridham and chief executive Matthew Pavlich have stressed the decision to ban the players is solely related to breaches of the club's standards and expected behaviour. Catch up on our live coverage of Pridham and Pavlich's press conference."Hopefully people can see how seriously we've taken this matter," Pridham said. "We're very proud of our culture we've built over many years at the club. We get more right than we get wrong. Clearly this is a very sad day for us and for everybody involved. "I know the five players involved, they're extremely remorseful for their actions in breaching the club's standards, and I think the sanction we've imposed and the impact that will have on our football season is clear for all to see. "It's very important to note the football outcome was not a consideration of the board." Sydney's sanctions came after the club conducted interviews with the players linked to the Melbourne incident off-site with their lawyers present. Sydney's board met on Tuesday night to discuss club-imposed sanctions. The bans handed to the players, according to the club bosses, relate to their decision to continue drinking late into the night and bring women back to the hotel. Pavlich said it fell "a long way short of what we expect of our players", and Pridham added that their actions left the club with no choice but to impose a heavy sanction. "They shouldn't have been in that situation," Pridham said. "The only way we can deal with it is to put our foot down incredibly hard, which we've done. To effectively torpedo our season by making a decision such as this tells you how seriously we're taking this." The AFL has backed the team's sanctions and the Swans say their decision is independent of an ongoing Victoria Police investigation. The players' ban includes this Sunday's home-and-away finale against North Melbourne and any finals matches the Swans will play afterwards. Pavlich said the club was "deeply embarrassed and ashamed", stressing they were "deeply concerned" about the welfare and wellbeing of the women involved. "They're the ones who are impacted severely at the moment," he said, adding that the Swans did not want to interfere with the police investigation by reaching out to the women directly. While the five suspended players will not be allowed to play for the rest of the year, Pavlich said "they will be allowed back at the football club" this season. "We're not abandoning our players," he said. "We are supporting our players through this really challenging time for them." Pridham pointed out the sanctions should not tarnish the entire team's reputation. "There are many players this doesn't apply to, and I believe our male team has, by and large, displayed complete respect for women, so I don't think that's something of concern," he said. "However, clearly when situations such as this emerge, and clearly there has been a breakdown in standards, we will, in time, as a board and as an executive team, review how we deal with these things going forward and we'll look to see if changes need to be made. "We're very, very proud of our culture. We don't get everything perfectly right over time, and things happen from time to time, and it's how we fix it going forward." Catch up on the Sydney Swans press conference. The press conference has finished up, so that's where we'll leave our live coverage. Thanks for being with us. On a question about whether any changes are going to be made at the club going forward, Pridham says the male team has "by and large, always displayed complete respect for women". "I'd just highlight that this breach of our standards relates to five players. So, there are many players who this doesn't apply to," he said. "However, clearly, when situations such as this emerge – and clearly, there has been a breakdown in standards – we will, in time – as a board, and as an executive team – we will review how we deal with these things going forward." Pridham has taken a question about whether he believes the Swans' season is now "torpedoed". "I think you've always got to enter the field of play with the expectation of performing well," he said. He says the fact that the club is willing to ban "five of our absolute best players" from the rest of the season shows it's "not trying to brush anything under the carpet". "I'm confident that, having taken this action, we'll be in a better place going forward as a result of it," he said.