Irish coach called on to steady ship after five Sydney Swans players are suspended

Former Tipperary footballer and current Sydney Swans women’s coach Colin O’Riordan walked into training at the club’s headquarters last Monday knowing he was facing into a trying week. It was new terrain, something neither he nor his young team – which includes Irish players Paris McCarthy, Tanya Kennedy and Julie O’Sullivan – could have planned for.Some of the Swans men’s team had celebrated an away win against Essendon in the early hours of Monday morning, August 17th, in their Melbourne hotel. By Wednesday, five players – Isaac Heeney, Riley Bice, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Nick Blakey – were suspended by the club. Among the items on the charge sheet was staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to their hotel room. The club’s sanctions were separate to an ongoing police investigation into an allegation of sexual assault. The Swans’ carefully crafted culture of teamwork, sacrifice and values had been shattered. READ MOREThe Australian rules club has also embraced a reputation for being one of the most progressive professional sports teams in the country. It holds a Pride game each year to acknowledge the city’s LGBTQI community. The club’s women’s team draws the biggest attendances in the AFLW, packing out North Sydney Oval and Henson Park for home games.The women’s team also share the club’s state-of-the-art training facilities with the men. The club advertises the AFL and AFLW players equally to promote upcoming games outside their headquarters. Key players such as former Donegal footballer Kennedy share billing with male counterparts. The Swans AFL and AFLW teams also shared a historic double header at the Sydney Cricket Ground last Saturday. The women were facing Essendon, while the men were taking on North Melbourne. The women’s team, along with their coach O’Riordan, subsequently found themselves caught in a mess that was not of their making.Sydney Swans women's coach Colin O'Riordan and captain Lucy McEvoy speak to the media last week about the controversy engulfing the club's men's team. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images By Wednesday, club chairman Andrew Pridham addressed a huge press pack on the decision to suspend the five key players. The suspensions are believed to have all but ended the team’s chances of winning a first AFL premiership since 2012.“To effectively torpedo our season by making a decision such as this tells you how seriously we’re taking this,” Pridham said. Every day last week, O’Riordan and his players walked from the club’s headquarters past a group of journalists and reporters. They were asked what they thought of the punished men’s players, the suspensions and the possibility of them being welcomed back into the AFL. It was an unfair situation to find themselves in and their response to all questions was a polite “no comment”.This season, O’Riordan has made history as the AFLW’s first Irish coach. Previously, he played 34 games for the Swans and also won a historic Munster Senior Football Championship with Tipperary six years ago. He initially made his name as a respected coach in the club’s academy, helping to identify young talent that could progress to the AFL. Perhaps aided by his own transformation from a talented Gaelic footballer into an AFL player, he noticed that Harry Kyle, a schoolboy rugby player from Sydney, had the credentials to do something similar. Kyle has subsequently become a team regular.Paris McCarthy kicks the ball forward for the Sydney Swans during their victory against Essendon Bombers at Sydney Cricket Ground last Sunday. Photograph: Darrian Traynor/AFL Photos/via Getty Images O’Riordan’s promotion to lead the club’s AFLW programme was, in part, a recognition of his ability to embrace the team’s three Irish players. It was also an acknowledgment of his skills in nurturing young players such as Zippy Fish. The Tipperary native had succeeded on the training field, starting with a round-one victory against Adelaide away. He also coached the Ireland AFLW team in their game against Australia, which acted as a season curtain-raiser.Last Friday, O’Riordan finally addressed another large gathering of journalists and reporters alongside his captain, Lucy McEvoy. As a player, he had dealt with pressure. Arriving in Sydney and competing against Australia’s most talented players to play in the AFL wasn’t easy. Neither was returning home during Covid to help Tipperary win their first Munster title in 85 years. But nothing could have prepared him to address a ravenous press pack generally reserved for Australian prime ministers.“The actions of a small number of people have impacted a lot of people, especially the women in our football club and wider community,” O’Riordan said.“As a man who was brought up with strong morals and a strong sense of what is right and wrong, [it’s] disappointing to be standing here today and be talking about something like this. Sydney Swans teammates Zippy Fish (left), Chloe Molloy and Paris McCarthy with coach Colin O'Riordan after the AFLW international match between Australia and Ireland at North Sydney Oval on August 1st. Photograph: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images “Growing up, I was always taught you treat everyone with respect, and that respect is a fundamental pillar of how you live your life. That is especially important in how you treat women.”The words of O’Riordan and his captain McEvoy helped spur a movement. Sydney residents with little interest in sport, never mind Australian rules, came to support the team last Sunday.The Swans’ AFLW team broke their home attendance record, with 16,672 fans coming to support them. A small number of fans had walked out after their win over Essendon, refusing to support the men’s team.After such a testing week, O’Riordan’s challenge to McCarthy and O’Sullivan ahead of the game was to imagine they weren’t in Sydney, but instead they were back home in Fitzgerald Stadium, starring for Kerry. Both players went on to kick goals in a 112-76 victory. The coach said he wanted his team to be “a beacon of light” in a week of crisis at the club. This Thursday, the mood had lifted. O’Riordan addressed a far smaller press pack, ahead of facing St Kilda, and chasing a third win of the season. Former club captain Chloe Molloy shouted over to the press “that’s a great man there” pointing at O’Riordan. Nobody argued.