Two players from the Sydney Swans' AFLW side found themselves before the police in December, weeks after a finals loss to Adelaide had closed their season, and both left with conditional release orders. The matter surfaced months later, at a moment when the league is rethinking how it handles illicit drugs, so the question of what it means for them has no settled answer yet. Set beside the men's competition, where earlier cases ended in strikes, suspensions and fines, the path ahead for these two women remains open and unwritten.
Two Sydney Swans AFLW players charged over illicit drug possession after season's end
Two Swans players, one December incident, and a penalty still unclear
Mark
Why is this surfacing now, months after December?
Mimi
The charges were laid late last year, but the story only emerged now. The two Swans players received conditional release orders, and the timing coincides with the AFL reviewing its illicit drugs policy.
Luke
Do we know who they are or what the substance was?
Mimi
No. The reporting names neither the players nor the substance.
Mark
Why does it matter that the season had ended?
Mimi
The incident happened in December, after the Swans lost their semi-final to Adelaide on November 18. So it was outside the season, though the source doesn't say how that affects any penalty.
Luke
And the penalty itself?
Mimi
Unclear. The review is ongoing, and nothing confirms what the league will do.
Mark
What do the men's cases tell us?
Mimi
Ginnivan and Bailey Smith each got a strike and a two-match ban. Ginnivan also got a $5000 suspended fine.
Luke
But those are only comparisons. Nothing in the reporting says the women's cases will follow them, especially mid-review.
Mimi
Agreed. And Joel Smith's case is different again, since he tested positive on game day and has been provisionally suspended since October.
Le Pouls
- Two Swans AFLW players were charged by police over an illicit substance, and the news arrived months after the incident.
- The timing lands awkwardly, because the AFL is mid-review of its illicit drugs policy and no one yet knows how that review applies.
- Memories of men's cases like Jack Ginnivan's suspension and Bailey Smith's strike hang over the discussion as possible yardsticks.
- The players are out of their criminal matters on conditional release orders, but the league's penalty is still undecided and could land at any time.
Two players from the Sydney Swans' AFLW side found themselves before the police in December, weeks after a finals loss to Adelaide had closed their season, and both left with conditional release orders. The matter surfaced months later, at a moment when the league is rethinking how it handles illicit drugs, so the question of what it means for them has no settled answer yet. Set beside the men's competition, where earlier cases ended in strikes, suspensions and fines, the path ahead for these two women remains open and unwritten.
Two Sydney Swans AFLW players were charged by police in December with possessing an illicit substance, and both were handed conditional release orders. The incident came after the season had already ended, with the Swans' campaign closed by a semi-final loss to Adelaide on November 18. The news only came out months later, and the source does not name the players or the substance involved.
The harder question now is what the league will do. The AFL is in the middle of reviewing its illicit drugs policy, and it has not made clear how that review affects these two players or what penalty, if any, they might face.
The men's competition offers reference points but no certainty. Jack Ginnivan received a strike and a two-match suspension in early 2023 after admitting drug use, and Bailey Smith was given a strike and a two-match ban in 2022 after being filmed with white powder. Melbourne's Joel Smith, who tested positive for cocaine, has been provisionally suspended since October. Whether any of these cases will shape the outcome for the Swans pair is not yet known. What to watch is the result of the policy review and the decision it produces for them.
Two Sydney Swans AFLW players were charged by police late last year with possessing an illicit substance, and both were handed conditional release orders. The matter has come to light months later, with the AFL in the middle of reviewing its illicit drugs policy.
The incident took place in December. By then the Swans' AFLW season was over, ended by a semi-final loss to Adelaide on November 18. The source does not name the two players or say what substance was involved.
What the players now face from the league is unclear. The AFL is reviewing its illicit drugs policy, and it has not been made plain how that review bears on their case or what penalty, if any, they will receive.
The men's competition offers some points of comparison. Early last year, then-Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan received a strike under the illicit drugs policy and was suspended for two matches after admitting to drug use. He was also given a $5000 suspended fine after vision emerged of him with a substance. Ginnivan has since moved to Hawthorn.
Bailey Smith, a Western Bulldogs midfielder, was treated similarly in 2022. He received a strike and a two-match ban after he was filmed with a bag of white powder.
Melbourne's Joel Smith is handled differently, because he tested positive for cocaine on game day. He has been provisionally suspended since October, following the positive test after the Demons' round 20 win over Hawthorn last season.
Those cases involved the men's competition, and the source does not say whether the same approach would apply to the Swans pair. Their criminal matters have been resolved with conditional release orders, but any league sanction remains open. The thing to watch is the outcome of the AFL's policy review and whatever it decides for these two players.
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