Swans dismiss trade ‘speculation’ amid uncertainty
Shayne Hope |
Sydney Swans football boss Leon Cameron has dismissed reports of Nick Blakey wanting to be traded as “speculation”, amid ongoing uncertainty around the playing futures of the embattled club’s suspended quintet.
Blakey is one of five players serving club-imposed bans for breaching the Swans’ behavioural standards at East Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel last month.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon have also been suspended for the rest of the season.
The suspensions are separate to an ongoing police investigation into sexual assault allegations made by women at the hotel.
No charges have been laid and AAP is not suggesting any wrongdoing.
A report in The Age this week suggested Blakey’s relationship with the club had recently deteriorated to the point where he has told associates he wants to be traded.
The 26-year-old star has five years left on a long-term deal reportedly worth more than $1 million per season.
On Saturday, Cameron said he checks in regularly with the “five good lads” while they are away from the club and insisted he had been given no indication Blakey is keen to leave the Swans.
“Nick hasn’t spoken a word of this,” Cameron said on 3AW radio ahead of the Swans’ qualifying final against Brisbane.
“There’s always going to be speculation when clubs are going through a crisis like we’ve gone through in the last two and a half weeks.
“But it’s all speculation, Nick’s contracted, and so are all the other guys as well.
“We’ll work through what everything looks like when our season finishes, but I don’t get tied up in that too much.”
Cameron said nobody at the Swans had been prepared for the Pullman Hotel events and the fallout that hangs over the club’s finals campaign.
He described it as a “unique and absolutely challenging” situation facing the Swans, but expressed pride in the club’s response, led by chairman Andrew Pridham and CEO Matthew Pavlich.
“You’re not prepared for that, but equally I’m really proud of how the club’s gone about each day, each moment, each step,” Cameron said.
“I think they’ve done a wonderful job, led by ‘AP’ and ‘Pav’ at the top, just making sure we’re making the right decisions with all the information that we have at the right time.
“I think they’ve done a remarkable job.”
AFL chairman Craig Drummond on Saturday said the Swans had taken “significant action” since the Pullman Hotel events, with support from the league.
He also repeated a concession he and AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon have made previously – that there remains “important work ahead” for the industry.
“We have a responsibility to keep listening, keep learning and continue building an environment where everyone involved in our game feels safe, respected and supported,” Drummond said at the SCG for an AFL pre-match finals function.
“The work ahead will continue at club level led by Andrew (Pridham) and Matthew (Pavlich), across the AFL and across our industry, and football will be stronger because of those efforts.”
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AAP