What the Sydney Swans strippers were paid to do, the ‘cut-price’ lap dance deal and the half-naked hallway drama that sparked panic: The untold story of the AFL hotel incident

Fresh details have emerged about what allegedly happened inside the Sydney Swans players’ hotel room before three strippers made sensational claims of misconduct.Almost two weeks have passed since the scandal engulfed the club on the eve of the AFL finals, with five players being stood down for throwing a raucous all-night party with strippers at the Pullman East hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 17.They faced disciplinary action at the club for staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the hotel – and now a separate police investigation is also underway after three topless waitresses made reports of alleged sexual assaults.Yet what really unfolded inside the room remains a mystery, fuelling rampant speculation and allowing what the club calls ‘misinformation’ to spread across news reports, social media and WhatsApp groups.A Daily Mail investigation has uncovered claims about what the women were paid to do in the hotel room, along with the agreed fee for a lap dance performance involving multiple men.A source with knowledge of the events has also sensationally alleged one of the players seemed quite fixated on feet. Fresh details have emerged about what allegedly happened inside the Sydney Swans players’ hotel room before three strippers made sensational claims of misconduct. (Isaac Heeney, one of the players named by the club in relation to the scandal, is seen with his fiancée Steffie Waters arriving at the AFL Awards in August last year) Almost two weeks have passed since the scandal engulfed the club on the eve of the AFL finals, with five players being stood down for throwing a raucous all-night party with strippers at the Pullman East hotel (pictured) in the early hours of Monday, August 17 It has been confirmed that Swansmen Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice were at the party. They were stood down and banned from the Brownlow Medal ‘They booked two strippers for the night,’ the well-placed source told the Mail.’The agent [at the adult entertainment company] took ID from the player who made the booking and a deposit up front.’The girls were sent to the Pullman but one actually turned up with her mate too, so three girls in total arrived for the job.’The entertainment started pleasantly enough, said the source. ‘Everyone was just chatting to start and they [the women] asked what they did for work because there were so many of them staying at the same hotel and nine of them crammed into one room [at one stage].’It has been confirmed that Swansmen Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice were at the party. They were stood down and banned from the Brownlow Medal.The other four men mentioned by the source have yet to be identified, but there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by them. Indeed, a club spokesman confirmed last week: ‘The Sydney Swans can confirm that all investigations carried out by the club have consistently indicated that the only representatives of the club in the room central to the police investigation were the five players who have been stood down.’ This viral WhatsApp message purports to show the fraught scene in the Pullman East hotel foyer on the morning of Monday, August 17 A Daily Mail investigation has uncovered claims about what the three women were paid to do in the hotel room in the hours beforehand, along with the agreed fee for a lap dance performance involving multiple men. (Above: a general view of a hotel room at the Pullman East Melbourne) A well-placed source claims the players did not reveal they were footballers but instead said they were carpenters, resulting in a discounted add-on fee being agreed for the lap dance performance. (Pictured: Heeney and his fiancée Ms Waters)The source went on to allege what has already been widely reported in relation to the scandal: that the players did not reveal they were footballers, but rather carpenters.’They said they were carpenters and working in the area,’ the insider said.Because of their trade, ‘the girls agreed to charge $200 per girl for a lap dance [performance] across all the guys,’ they added.’The girls performed to one song each and moved between the guys.’The source said this kind of performance would usually cost between $250 and $300, on top of the agency’s standard booking fee.’But because it was late and they didn’t think [the men] earned much, they did them a deal and they just wanted to get the job done and leave,’ the source said.The men paid on the spot and some physical contact was allowed while the dance was taking place, it is claimed.According to the source, some of the men were ‘wasted’, swaying and unsteady on their feet, as the girls shimmied through their routines.At one stage, a woman said that if the players wanted to touch the dancers, they would have to pay more. ‘One guy agreed to pay an extra $50 to slap her a**e three times,’ said the source. The booking was described as ‘straightforward’ until one of the strippers began feeling unwell. (Stock image posed by model) It was only after this woman went into the hallway while partially dressed that the situation escalated and the players started to panic, claims the source. (Above: Above: a general view of a hallway at the Pullman East Melbourne)’Another player was barefoot and seemed to want to touch them with his feet.’ The Mail does not suggest this was improper or non-consensual.The booking was described as ‘straightforward’ until one of the women began feeling unwell. There is no suggestion any of the men caused her to feel unwell.According to the source, she became faint in the stuffy room and opened the door to the hallway in an attempt to get some air.The woman’s father has since spoken publicly about this event, claiming that he believed she was having an asthma attack.Her exit to the hallway while partially dressed allegedly caused alarm among the players, as it was morning by this time and other hotel guests would have been waking up and leaving their rooms.’The guys were all freaking out in case someone walked past and saw them all in there because she was half-naked,’ the source said. Steffie Waters, the partner of Heeney, fled Sydney for Noosa in the wake of the scandal’The girls were really confused because, at this point, they still thought they were just tradies and didn’t know what all the fuss was about being seen.’It was spiralling and getting heated and the two other girls decided to end the booking.’It was only after the women made their way down to the lobby to seek assistance from hotel staff that the penny finally dropped.The source claims the women saw the rest of the team and management wearing the Swans’ signature red clothing and realised the men they had been dancing for were AFL players.The Daily Mail has previously reported that while in the lobby, one of the strippers called her boss to complain about the booking and the way she had been treated.The next day, two of the women made an official police statement and both retained Carbone Lawyers for civil legal representation. Later in the week, the third woman also made a police statement and retained Slater and Gordon for legal advice.Daily Mail does not suggest any of the named Swans players are under police investigation or involved in any wrongdoing alleged by the women.No charges have been laid.