Sydney Swans boss addresses Nick Blakey’s future as rival clubs circle despite him being stood down over stripper scandal
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has flown to Melbourne to meet Sydney star Nick Blakey as the defender considers leaving the Swans following a turbulent end to the season.
Blakey is weighing up his future despite having five years remaining on his contract, with Geelong, Gold Coast, Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne all interested.
His potential departure comes after he was one of five Swans players stood down for the remainder of the 2026 campaign over breaches of club protocols linked to an incident at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel in August.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice were also stood down.
Victoria Police is investigating sexual assault allegations connected to the incident, although no criminal charges have been reported.
Bice has reportedly been cleared of criminal wrongdoing and is being treated as a potential witness, while the other four players remain under investigation.
Sydney defender Nick Blakey is weighing up his future as five rival clubs express interest in the All-Australian
Blakey is reportedly frustrated with Sydney’s handling of the matter and is considering a fresh start.
Keane said Sydney only learnt of Blakey’s planned meetings with rival clubs through online reports and maintained that the defender remaining at the Swans was the ‘most likely scenario’.
Hardwick travelled from Queensland for Thursday’s meeting as Gold Coast weighs up whether to pursue Blakey.
Geelong remains Blakey’s preferred destination, but he is also understood to be open to joining the Suns. Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne are also expected to meet him.
Blakey is reportedly set to decide where he wants to play in 2027 by the end of the week.
However, any move would require the approval of Sydney, which is expected to demand a significant return for an All-Australian player contracted for another five years.
Geelong remains Blakey’s preferred destination, although he is reportedly open to joining Gold Coast
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has flown to Melbourne to meet Blakey during the trade window
Asked whether the Swans knew Blakey would be meeting rival clubs this week, Swans boss Chris Keane admitted they had not been informed.
‘It’s actually not something we were made aware of outside of what’s being reported online,’ he said on the AFL’s Trade Radio.
‘But what I’d say is I think we do understand the current landscape in regards to players exploring opportunities and how that’s probably shifted over the last few years in particular.
‘But ultimately, he’s contracted for five more years at our footy club for a reason.’
Gold Coast could strengthen its hand in any trade negotiations if it receives pick No.7 as compensation for Ben King’s departure.
The Suns have until Friday to decide whether to match King’s deal or accept the compensation.
Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne are also expected to meet the star Swans defender
Blakey also expressed interest in joining Gold Coast during last year’s trade period, but the possibility of a move quickly faded.
Geelong’s board, meanwhile, will decide whether the Cats pursue the defender.
But choosing a destination and securing Sydney’s agreement are two separate hurdles, with Keane warning that a trade would be ‘significantly challenging’.
Keane said the Swans were discussing the situation with Blakey’s management, but the club’s position had not changed since the trade period opened.
‘Clearly, there’s been some speculation about Nick over the last probably couple of weeks,’ Keane said.
‘We’re working through all that with his management group at the moment.
Sydney list boss Chris Keane said keeping Blakey remains the ‘most likely scenario’
‘But as I said Monday, from our perspective, he’s contracted and a significant player for our club, and that hasn’t changed.’
Despite growing interest from rival clubs, Keane said Blakey had not directly told Sydney he wanted to leave.
‘We haven’t heard that directly from Nick himself,’ Keane.
‘I’m talking to Robbie, his manager, constantly, and we’ll keep those conversations behind closed doors.’
Keane said Sydney had not actively pursued a trade and remained confident Blakey could return to the club.
‘As we sit here right now, these are all hypotheticals,’ he said.
‘It’s certainly not something we’ve actively pursued, and we feel confident that he could walk back into our footy club.
‘But given the calibre of player that he is and the fact that he’s contracted for five more years, we feel like making any deal happen would be significantly challenging.’
Asked whether he expected Blakey to remain at Sydney in 2027, Keane reiterated the club’s position.
‘Well, that’s our preference,’ he said.
‘Our expectation on that one hasn’t changed since the start of the week, and I’d say it’s the most likely scenario given his contract status and how challenging a trade would be given how highly we rate him.’
Keane also made clear that retaining players remained Sydney’s priority during the trade period.
‘We probably went into this period with a focus on retention, and that piece hasn’t changed and won’t change,’ he said.
Sydney is also continuing discussions with the management of Warner and Tom McCartin, who are both entering the final year of their contracts.
Veteran Dane Rampe has yet to decide his future, while Harry Cunningham is weighing up his options after receiving an offer from the Swans.
