‘Need to get all the facts’: Cox on talks with banned Swans, possible returns to club ahead of police probe

Sydney coach Dean Cox says he’s stayed in constant dialogue with the club’s five suspended players to show support but wasn’t sure when they would return to Swans HQ.

Cox says he hasn’t spoken with those banned players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon, who have all stayed away from the club in the fallout of the Pullman Hotel scandal — about the looming police investigation over sexual assault allegations with exotic dancers.

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The Sydney coach stressed “we need to get all the facts” on that police probe before jumping to any conclusions as he shifts his attention to his first finals campaign as senior coach.

“One thing I’ll always do is support my players. I’m staying in dialogue with those five players whilst they’re away from the football club. I speak about their welfare, how they’re going and if we can support in any way,” Cox said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Tuesday night.

“I haven’t spoken to them at all about the police investigation. Also I think we need to understand there’s an investigation in process. We need to get all the facts on that, before we make any assumptions.

“(My chats are) purely about support, and I’ll continue to do that.”

Cox revealed there’s no time frame on when those five players will return to the club.

“Things are changing by the hour and the day. People upstairs (are involved in those talks), I’m privy to some of those conversations,” he said.

“But it’s been about how we best manage our football team at the minute and make sure we can focus as heavily as we possibly can on this weekend’s game.

“Whilst also supporting those players whilst they aren’t at the club. There’s no time frame on when they will return, we’ll just keep talking about it each day and assess the situation from there.”

Asked if he wasn’t ruling out the possibility of the ‘Pullman Five’ returning to the club this season, Cox said: “There’s so much at play. My job now is to focus and prepare the team as well as I possibly can and get us ready and united.

“From Andrew (Pridham, chairman) to ‘Pav’ (Matthew Pavlich, chief executive), to all staff, to the playing group, to put in a really strong performance and be ready on Saturday.”

It comes as Sydney prepare to park a stormy few weeks when the second-placed club hosts Brisbane in a qualifying final at the SCG on Saturday.

Cox says he’s been able to lock back into footy ahead of the second-year coach’s first finals series at the helm of the Swans, having only had brief preparations for their Round 24 win over North Melbourne in the week of the Pullman controversy.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to be able to coach this club in my first finals campaign,” Cox said.

“I said to the players there’s no playbook on how we handle the situation. We’re going to stick together, we’re going to work out way through every circumstance and scenario.

“We’re going to try and put our best foot forward and perform in a way that we’re gong to make each other proud and our football club proud.

“We’re under no illusion that this weekend is a really tough ask but one we’re really excited for.”

But Cox hadn’t felt the need to address Pridham’s comments that the club’s call to suspend the five players for the remainder of 2026 “effectively torpedo our season,” having commended the way the Swans chairman has handled the matter.

“I appreciate how hostile that press conference was and I had one a couple of days later ... but certainly in my conversations with Andrew, there has not been one suggestion that he’s lost any belief in this playing group and what it can still do,” Cox added.

“Through this, his support and guidance, not only to me, but our whole players, staff and the entire club, has been at the highest level. And it has been like that for decades.

“I really admire the way he has led through this situation, taken ownership, set the standards and supported all the people around him.

“I think that’s what makes him such a great chairman and great person.”

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