Furious locals rally round the family of under-siege Swans star Isaac Heeney at his parents’ idyllic rural home despite being embroiled in sordid scandal: ‘Good Baptists’

Angry neighbours have ordered media away from the parental home of embattled Swans star Isaac Heeney because they say the family are ‘good, church-going Baptists’.

Heeney, 30, is one of five Sydney Swans players suspended for the rest of the season for breaching club standards during a boozy night out on August 17.

The sanctions are separate from a sexual assault investigation by Victoria Police after they brought women to their Melbourne hotel for lap dances.

Two women allege they were subject to sexual conduct in excess of what was agreed to when they were booked as topless waitresses. A third woman approached police with a sexual assault allegation.

It’s understood Heeney’s alleged actions are the focus of the investigation. He spoke with police last week, but none of the players have been formally interviewed and no charges have been laid.

Heeney was nowhere to be seen at his Maroubra unit after returning to Sydney last week, and his fiancée Steffie Waters was then spotted crying on the phone without her engagement ring in Queensland.

He was also absent from his parents’ sprawling property near Newcastle on Monday, with irate neighbours telling the Mail they hadn’t seen Heeney at the estate in ‘a long time’.

Locals showed little interest in the sexual assault allegation facing Heeney but were more concerned about ‘strange cars’ driving on their ‘private’ road. 

Within moments of the Mail arriving, the media faced a furious backlash. 

One woman appeared to shake with rage as she spoke, saying: ‘We’re a private community and we don’t want strangers driving up here.

‘I know who you’re interested in, but he’s not here and he hasn’t been for a long time. 

‘None of them are here.’

Another man was angry because the Mail used the lower portion of his driveway at the end of the road to turn around.

‘It’s an invasion of our privacy,’ he said. ‘They’re good neighbours.’

When it was explained that Heeney was a high-profile AFL player accused of sexual assault, he said, ‘Well, yes…there is an allegation…’ before again citing privacy issues.

Later on Monday, another neighbour approached the Mail and said she was trying to protect her community.

‘We look out for each other, and the Heeneys are good people,’ she said.

‘They go to church, they’re Baptists.’

The Heeneys bought their property for $350,000 in 2015 and built a four-bedroom home two years later.

According to property databases, the home is now worth an estimated $1.3million.

Swans players Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon have also been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season after the club found the players breached standards.

Victoria Police say Sex Crimes Squad detectives are investigating ‘a report of a sexual assault’ at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in relation to the alleged incident.

The club found they had breached their standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the hotel.

No charges have been laid and all players have denied wrongdoing.

The Daily Mail does not suggest any of the players are involved in any wrongdoing, just that they spoke to police about the alleged incident.

A woman represented by law firm Slater & Gordon has since alleged she was the victim of ‘multiple sexual assaults’ while in the hotel, according to The Age.

The fresh allegation follows two other women, represented by Carbone Lawyers, claiming they were subjected to sexual conduct in excess of what was agreed to when they were booked as topless waitresses.

Slater & Gordon lawyer Jackson Pannam said on Saturday that the firm had been asked by his client to determine if there was any basis for a civil claim.

‘Everyone deserves to be safe going about their life, at home, at work and in public spaces without risk of being assaulted or harmed,’ he said in a statement.

Slater & Gordon lawyers said the new allegation has been reported to police. 

Speaking alongside coach Dean Cox and flanked by his Swans teammates, team captain Callum Mills on Friday apologised to the club’s AFLW players and female staff, and then to women in the wider community.

‘We take these allegations extremely seriously, and we hope the women involved are getting all the support they deserve,’ Mills said.

‘We really are disappointed at the actions of these five players, and as a playing group we fully support the club’s decisions on the sanctions handed down. 

‘We take full responsibility, and we are deeply sorry.’

Cox added: ‘We are extremely disappointed at the actions of the players, and the sanctions imposed by the board show how seriously we take these matters.

‘To those women involved, I hope everyone is getting the support they need.’