Sydney Swans players referred to police after alleged incident in Melbourne on Sunday

Several Sydney Swans players have been referred to police over an alleged incident in Melbourne on Sunday following the club's AFL win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the club said. Victoria Police separately said detectives are investigating a report of a sexual assault at a hotel in East Melbourne.

The Sydney Swans confirmed an incident involving an unspecified number of players occurred in the hours after the team's win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Chief executive Matthew Pavlich said the club was "still piecing together exactly what's transpired", and that it would not be drawn on the specific allegations. "Safe to say, we're extremely shocked and disappointed that this has taken place, and that the players have found themselves in this situation," he said at a press conference on Monday. "There's going to be lots of speculation, but given it's a police matter right now, that is all we can say."

Victoria Police said detectives are investigating a report of a sexual assault at a hotel in East Melbourne and that the incident they were investigating occurred at a hotel on Wellington Parade in the early hours of Sunday morning. A police spokesperson added: "The exact circumstances are yet to be established and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing."

Pavlich declined to say whether any arrests had been made, nor provide any details about how many players were involved.

The AFL issued a brief statement saying Sydney "made the AFL aware of the matter which is currently under Victoria Police investigation".

Sydney sits second on the 2026 ladder after winning 17 out of 22 games this year.

The club is scheduled to face North Melbourne on Sunday in the final round before the finals, through which the top six teams are guaranteed to advance.