Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Sydney’s AFLW team has become a beacon of hope with coach Colin O’Riordan expressing his pride at how his players dropped their body armour to show vulnerability in the wake of last week’s events.
The Swans have been in crisis mode since five players – Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice – were suspended for the rest of the season for breaching club standards.
Separately, a police investigation into sexual assault allegations related to what allegedly took place in a Melbourne hotel room last week is ongoing.
No charges have been laid by police and AAP is not suggesting any criminal wrongdoing.
Fans have come out in force to support Sydney’s AFLW team since the allegations surfaced, with a crowd of 16,672 fans turning up to watch them beat Essendon by 24 points at the SCG in Sunday’s double-header.
It more than doubled Sydney’s previous highest home crowd for a home AFLW game.
In contrast, the men’s team recorded its lowest SCG crowd of the season – just 30,058 fans watched them beat North Melbourne.
O’Riordan praised the way his players had handled – and continue to handle – the emotion surrounding the ongoing crisis.
“I think the best way anyone connects with anyone is being vulnerable and being honest,” O’Riordan said on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash with St Kilda in Coffs Harbour.
“As a group, we were really vulnerable with each other. We had some conversations together where we probably dropped the body armour a little bit.
“I think as humans everyone thinks you’re 10-foot tall and bulletproof all the time and nothing affects you.
“But it affected a lot of people in a lot of different ways. So I think just acknowledging that, accepting it, and then trying to help each other (was crucial).”
Before Sunday’s AFLW match, Sydney captain Callum Mills and star midfielder Errol Gulden made their way over to the women’s team to show their support.
“I know that the majority of the boys have our backs, and that’s what the girls see, and that’s what they love and they cherish as a club,” O’Riordan said.
“We’re really united on this and the boys are a testament to that too.”
O’Riordan spoke about the ongoing challenges of the situation, but says the support of the fans and the tight connection within the team have helped the players through it.
“It was tough to be honest,” O’Riordan said.
I’m big on the connection within our group and how we play for each other and getting each other through tough times.
“And this was just a really good test of everything we spoke about during the pre-season from a football sense.
“I think football and life can overlap a little bit in that sense and we just wanted to be the beacon of hope for everyone.”
