Nick Riewoldt Proposes Removing Sydney from 2026 AFL Finals Amid Scandal

Nick Riewoldt, a former St Kilda player, has proposed that the AFL might need to exclude Sydney from the 2026 finals series due to an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual assault involving the team.

The Swans have secured second place and are set to host two finals in September, but they will be without five key players, including Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, and Nick Blakey, for the remainder of the season.

Riewoldt expressed that the situation has significantly affected the finals landscape, suggesting that finishing third has become crucial for teams like Brisbane and Hawthorn, who could face an undermanned Sydney in the qualifying final. He referenced the AFL's past decision to remove Essendon from the finals in 2013 due to a drug scandal, noting the differences in the circumstances surrounding the two cases.