A desire to support the players not caught up in the Sydney Swans scandal looks set to ensure a large number of fans attend Sunday’s double-header at the SCG.
While disappointment remains among Swans fans at what captain Callum Mills said was the “actions of a few within our group”, sentiment has shifted from anger to a desire to back the club – and especially the women’s team.
Five Swans players – Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice – have been suspended for their part in the events that unfolded in a hotel room in East Melbourne in the early hours of last Monday.
A woman who visited the room has alleged she was sexually assaulted by one of the players. A police investigation is under way. Heeney is at the centre of the investigation.
Kate Bennett and her partner Robert Sharp have been going to Swans games for the 28 years they’ve been together. Sharp is a Swans supporter, while Bennett switched her allegiance to the Giants 13 years ago.
They will be there tomorrow for the first match day since the storm broke; first for the AFLW team’s clash against Essendon, then when the men’s team takes on North Melbourne.
“I go with Robert to the Swans, and he comes with me to the Giants – we see a lot of football over the season,” Bennett said.
“I’m going tomorrow because I really do feel sorry for the men, because they just look devastated. And I just think, you’ve done nothing wrong … these kids, and the older players like Dane Rampe and Jake Lloyd who have been foot soldiers for them, and have played really well, they don’t deserve to not have fans there.”
Initially, Bennett didn’t think she would attend the match. However, she decided she wanted to support the players who weren’t involved in the scandal.
“I spoke to my daughter who said it’s not the boys who are left behind’s fault, and if nobody goes, then that would be devastating,” Bennett said.
“And I thought, ‘You know what, you’re right’, and it would be devastating for the girls – how exciting [for them] to play on the SCG.”
However, Bennett’s sentiment is not universally shared by Swans fans. Many, such as Emma Gray and her daughter, Esther, are only planning on attending the women’s match, from 12.30pm, before leaving ahead of the men’s game at 3.20pm.
Gray has been a Swans supporter for about 20 years, while her daughter backs Essendon, and was frustrated she couldn’t buy a ticket solely for the women’s match.
“It’s a women’s match at a big venue which is definitely worth supporting for the promotion of the game,” Gray said.
“We’re not staying for the men’s game because I don’t condone the misogynist culture which is clearly prevalent at the club. Why men, particularly in positions of privilege, think that celebrating with the ‘boys’ needs to involve demeaning women is absolutely beyond me.”
Fans of rival clubs will also attend the SCG on Sunday, after the GWS Giants women’s team urged their supporters to turn up in solidarity.
“As we will be playing the Demons away from home in Melbourne, we would like to encourage our Sydney based and non-travelling fans, to continue supporting the spectacle of women’s football in Sydney by attending the match, before watching us play in Melbourne,” the Giants’ AFLW leadership team said in a statement.
“This is a moment to put rivalries aside and bolster the women’s game in NSW by showing up and supporting the league and women in football.”
‘I’m going tomorrow because I really do feel sorry for the men, because they just look devastated. And I just think, you’ve done nothing wrong.’
Swans fan Kate Bennett
The Swans’ AFLW team will play for points at the historic ground for just the second time since the team’s inception in 2022.
Nat Zil, a Swans fan who became a Giants supporter through clinics and community events, said she would be going to both matches tomorrow with her family.
“I’m both a Swans and Giants supporter,” Zil said. “I typically haven’t been to a lot of the AFLW games, but I will be going to support the girls. I saw the Giants message on social media, and I was so proud of them.”
Meanwhile, Carolyn Cummins – a former employee of The Sydney Morning Herald who remains an occasional contributor – has been a Swans member for almost 30 years and sponsors the locker for AFLW player Ash Van Loon. Her grandfather played for South Melbourne – the Swans’ origin club – in 1918.
Cummins, a committee member for Ladies @ Sydney Swans – a fan group supported by the club that hosts events for female supporters, said both the men’s and women’s team needed their fans now more than ever.
“I am a very proud Swans ambassador and I will certainly be there to support the AFLW team – I can’t wait to see how we perform throughout the season,” Cummins said.
“For the boys who’ll take to the field, they need our support more than ever. All Swans fans, please don’t abandon the club. We’re here to support the club and the players and to witness history.
“It’s a wonderful achievement to see the girls run out on the SCG in what we hope will be a full house.”
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Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.