SYDNEY AFLW coach Colin O’Riordan has called the club's AFLW side a "beacon of light", and urged the footy world to get behind the women's team amid a dark week for the Swans.
Sydney's club culture and attitude towards women has been called into question after five men's Swans players breached club standards at a Melbourne hotel, sparking a police investigation and leading to season-ending suspensions for Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon, and Chad Warner.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Swans AFL-AFLW double-header at the SCG where the club was hoping to break its AFLW crowd record, women's captain Lucy McEvoy said the best way forward is to support the AFLW team.
“This week was supposed to be a really big day for our football club and the W program, so to be able to get that support means a lot," McEvoy said.
AFLW ROUND TWO Get your seats to Swans v Bombers
"We've had a lot of messages through social media, and the best way people can support us right now is to get to the game on Sunday and hopefully break the record crowd that we set a few years ago."
The club’s current record of 8264 fans was set at its inaugural game at North Sydney Oval in 2022.
Addressing suggestions that supporters might protest during the men's match, McEvoy said while she understands why some would consider a walkout, the club remained united and focused on filling the stands for the women's match.
“I can appreciate why people would potentially do that, but as a club, we're staying united,” she said.
“The best way to get through this is to support us right now. As a club, we'll certainly be united as one on the weekend. It's going to be a really special day for our football club, and we hope that we can get as many fans there as possible.”
Both O’Riordan and McEvoy expressed full backing for the sanctions, while urging fans and the broader footy world to channel their feelings into supporting the women's team.
“We are incredibly disappointed, as a lot of people are, with what's occurred at the beginning of this week,” McEvoy said.
“We know that the actions of those five players are not a reflection of the broader club or the program more broadly. But as I said, we're extremely disappointed, and we're looking forward to hopefully showing our support for women in general on Sunday at our game at 12:30 [pm].”
Carrying significant momentum after a come-from-behind win against Adelaide at Unley Oval last Sunday, O’Riordan said the group maintained focus by separating the non-football issue from their preparation, embracing their role as role models and calling on supporters to show up at the SCG.
“We had a good chat this morning as a group around football,” O'Riordan said.
“This is a non-football issue, so it was quite nice to talk about football and prepare these girls for what is going to be a huge game this weekend.
“We touched on how they can be a beacon of light—a beacon to every woman out there who wants to be in their shoes. They're huge role models for so many women. I think that's what really matters this week: as Luce mentioned, come and support the team and let them be that beacon of light. They deserve it. Rock up to the SCG and support them, because they deserve it more than anyone.”
This Sunday will mark just the second time in the team’s history that they have played for premiership points at the SCG, with McEvoy adding that returning to the iconic venue is a well-deserved milestone the club has anticipated for a long time.
“We're really excited. It's been a really long buildup for the club prior to anything that occurred this week, and it's going to be a really special day for us,” she said.
“I strongly believe that we've deserved this opportunity to play at the SCG. We played there in our first year, and that was a special moment, so to be able to come back and play at the SCG in front of what is hopefully a big crowd is going to be really exciting for the group.”
Sydney will face Essendon at the SCG on Sunday at 12:30pm.
