Swans Lose Five for the Season as AFL Round 24 Brings Mass Changes Across the League
Sydney's 2026 campaign has taken a heavy hit, with five players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice — ruled out for the rest of the season. The quintet were missing from the Swans' team list for their Round 24 Sunday clash against North Melbourne, confirming their years are done. (ABC News)
In their place, Sydney named James Rowbottom, Angus Sheldrick, Tom Hanily, Harry Cunningham, Caiden Cleary, Malcolm Rosas Jr, Corey Warner and debutant Patrick Snell in an extended bench. That is a significant injection of youth and depth — the kind of reshuffle that tests a club's list when September is still on the table.
Across the rest of Round 24, the selection news came thick and fast. Collingwood named Nick Daicos for Friday night's trip to the Gabba to face Brisbane, with Jeremy Howe and Steele Sidebottom also returning. Noah Howes was omitted and Isaac Quaynor ruled out through injury. Adelaide brought back Taylor Walker, Alex Neal-Bullen and Wayne Milera for their meeting with GWS. Geelong welcomed back Jeremy Cameron, Sam De Koning and Jack Martin for Richmond's visit, while managing Mark Blicavs and Ollie Wiltshire and losing James Worpel to a hamstring injury.
Fremantle took a different approach, leaving Jye Amiss, Heath Chapman and Sam Switkowski at home rather than flying them east. Judd McVee, Bailey Banfield and debutant Tobyn Murray came into the side. The Western Bulldogs regained captain Marcus Bontempelli and Bailey Dale for their clash with Melbourne, with Tom Liberatore managed. Hawthorn were without Jack Ginnivan, who missed the Sunday evening game against West Coast through injury.
Earlier on Thursday night, Gold Coast stunned St Kilda at Marvel Stadium in the round's opening match. The Suns dominated from intercept chains — the passages of play where a team wins the ball back after cutting off an opposition attack — outscoring the Saints 8.8 (56) to 1.7 (13) from those sources. St Kilda managed just seven points from their defensive 50 chains, the plays that start from a kick-in or throw-in deep in their own backline. (AFL.com.au)
Fox Sports had given St Kilda a 73% win probability before the bounce. The result flipped that script. (Fox Sports)
The Saints had already confirmed this would be their final match of the 2026 season, with no finals berth on the line. (YouTube — Saints TV) For Gold Coast, the win strengthens a campaign that has gathered momentum since these two sides last met in round nine.
For Sydney, the five outs are the story that will define their finals build-up. Heeney and Blakey are among the competition's premier talents; Warner has been central to the Swans' midfield all year. Losing that calibre of player this late in a season forces a recalibration of what is possible in September. The players who step into those gaps now carry the weight of whether Sydney's flag push survives.
