Nick Blakey Biography

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham has thrown his support behind the five players stood down late in the season, including Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice.

"When our heroes disappoint us, it's a reminder that our players can make mistakes, as we all know. All of us, in that spirit, have made mistakes at times in our lives, and we must remember that," Pridham told the room at the 2026 Sydney Swans Awards.

"As we know, the players have strenuously denied the allegations. We respect that those in our club and the wider community can be distressed by these things. Likewise, we must also acknowledge -and I've seen it up close and personal - that our five players and their families are also hurting, and our thoughts must also be with them."

Sydney's five suspended players have offered an apology to teammates and colleagues after ending their weeks-long exile from the AFL club.

Swans vice-captain Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice appeared at Swans HQ for the first time since being banned for breaching club standards in August.

Banned players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice will return to the Swans this week.

"I want them to be themselves. I want them to come in and do what we'd normally do at the end of a season, which is, yeah, player exit meetings," Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich said.

"If they've got something to say to their player group, if they've got something to say to the club, then we'll hear them out then."

The Swans have dismissed talk that Nick Blakey wants to be traded.

Blakey is one of five players serving club-imposed bans for breaching the Swans' behavioural standards at East Melbourne's Pullman Hotel last month.

There has been increased speculation that Blakey's relationship with the club had recently deteriorated to the point where he wants to be traded.

The 26-year-old star has five years left on a long-term deal reportedly worth more than $1 million per season.

"There's always going to be speculation when clubs are going through a crisis like we've gone through in the last two and a half weeks," Sydney football boss Leon Cameron said.

"But it's all speculation, Nick's contracted, and so are all the other guys as well. We'll work through what everything looks like when our season finishes, but I don't get tied up in that too much."

James Rowbottom says he hasn't spoken in any detail to Nick Blakey about his desire to explore trade options at the end of 2026.

Last month, the Swans suspended Blakey and four other teammates for breaching club standards after an alleged incident at a Melbourne hotel that triggered an ongoing police investigation.

"Obviously, it's been a challenging period for him, and I'm just reaching out as a friend. Living with him adds a whole other layer to the situation, so I've reached out as a friend, but no, we haven't spoken about any of those specifics," Rowbottom said.

"It's challenging, but everyone's going through it together. You've got to sort of separate the person from the problem when you live with someone to try and offer support, and I've been trying to do that."

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon confirms that the five Sydney players suspended for the remainder of the season - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice - won't be invited to the Brownlow Medal but remain eligible to win the award.

"They're still eligible for Brownlow, but they're under a club suspension, which goes until the end of the season. They're still welcome back to the club when that's completed," Dillon said.

Sydney suspend Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon, and Chad Warner for the rest of the 2026 season after they were deemed to have breached club standards following a serious alleged incident that followed the Swans' round 23 win over Essendon at the Pullman hotel in Melbourne.

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham apologised for the scandal that has engulfed the club and the AFL, saying the five players who have been suspended for the rest of the season are "extremely remorseful" for their actions, while Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich said the club is "deeply embarrassed and ashamed" of the players' involvement in the alleged incident, which is now the subject of a police investigation.

"The fact that we've got to the place where we are today, and we've effectively suspended the players for the balance of season when we're heading into a final series, just tells you how seriously we've taken it," Pridham said.

"The only way we can deal with it is to put our foot down incredibly hard, which we've done."

In a joint statement, banned Swans Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner address their actions that took place in the Pullman Hotel that is now being investigated by police.

"We are deeply sorry to everyone involved. We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club," the statement read.

"We know we have let down our partners and families, members, supporters, teammates, the AFLW team, corporate partners and everyone at the club and the wider community.

"We accept the club sanction and apologise for the impact this has had on those involved.

"Our focus will now be on rebuilding trust with the club and the community."

Nick Blakey signs a seven-year deal to remain with the Swans until the end of 2031, the longest current contract of any player in the AFL.

"Nick is a great young man and a very important part of our young group, so we are delighted that he has chosen to extend his career with the Swans long term," Sydney football boss Charlie Gardiner said.

"He has some unique talents on field and has worked incredibly hard to overcome injuries over the past couple of years to turn himself into a high-quality defender and provide enormous flexibility to the team."

Nick Blakey is set to miss the Swans' pre-season games after coming down with a mild case of glandular fever.

"Nick Blakey has been feeling unwell and results from tests have shown he has a mild case of glandular fever," Swans head of physiotherapy and medical services Damian Raper said.

"As a result, Nick will be rested for approximately three weeks before returning to training."

Nick Blakey is ruled out for the rest of the 2021 season after scans reveal a crack in his right fibula that was sustained during the third quarter of the Swans' match against North Melbourne.

"He was learning the craft of playing in defence and getting better every week, so it's really disappointing for him that he's out for the rest of the season and for us," Sydney coach John Longmire said.

After struggling with form, a move to defence has revitalised Nick Blakey in his third season.

"I was just in some really bad form. No one likes to be dropped, obviously, but I knew it was coming. The best thing for me was to go back to the twos and get some confidence," Blakey said.

"I was told I had to work on my defensive side of the game and that I would be played down back. When Horse told me, I was a bit rattled. Growing up, I never, ever played in defence.

"I played four weeks of VFL at centre half-back, got some confidence and I suppose the offensive side of my game just flowed off the back of defending well. I think I've been able to transfer that to AFL level, so it was a blessing in disguise."

Sydney trio James Rowbottom, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey have all signed contract extensions. Rowbottom and Blakey have signed on until the end of 2024 and Warner the end of 2023.

Nick Blakey says he has a great relationship with his father, John Blakey, who also works as a backline coach for the Swans.

"Dad and I have a really good relationship at home and a really good working relationship as well, so if he tells me to do something, I'll do it, just like I do with the other coaches," he said.

"We've never had any conflict about my football and I think Mum has been pretty big on that, when we're at home we're a family and don't talk much about football. I know that he's there though so, if I need to, I can go straight to Dad.

"People will probably think it's a bit funny because he's my dad but at the end of the day, he's just another coach at the club."

John said at times he found it tough separating himself from his roles last year.

"It was difficult. I won't lie, I get pretty excited when he does something well, but I tried not to show it too much because I know the cameras are onto me," he said.

"I didn't expect to see him play as many games as he did, so I thought it was a super effort.

"I'm a really proud father and hopefully he can continue on and have a better year this year."

Nick Blakey is the 2019 round 14 Rising Star after kicking two crucial goals against Hawthorn at the MCG, including one following a spectacular mark.

Blakey has missed just one AFL game this season, a surprise even to him given he had only a limited pre-season after overcoming an ankle injury sustained late in the 2018 season.

"I definitely didn't think I'd play as much senior football as I have. If someone told me in pre-season that I'd play 12 games (in the first 13) I would've said, 'You're dreaming,'" Blakey said.

"The club has trusted me and backed me in, and they've instilled faith and confidence in me. The Swans have a good record of playing young boys and having them play key roles."

Nick Blakey makes his AFL debut for Sydney at Docklands Stadium with 10 disposals (6 kicks and 4 handballs), a mark, a tackle and a goal in a 17-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.

Draftee and academy selection Nick Blakey signs a two-year extension with Sydney to remain at the club until the end of 2022.

Sydney's shock draft manoeuvre which helped secure Academy player Nick Blakey for a bargain may not be permitted again.

The AFL's general counsel, Andrew Dillon, and his team are leading a review into how the debut of live pick trading worked, and whether such tactics should be blocked in the future.

Sydney traded a second-round selection to West Coast so they didn't have to use it on Blakey when a bid came at pick 10. The Swans then traded back into the second round shortly afterwards.

"It was clearly legal and that's what clever industrious clubs do, they look at the rules and they take advantage of them if there's stuff possible," AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said.

"Whether that's available next year, Andrew Dillon and his team will review."

Nick Blakey says he wants to emulate his father, John Blakey, in forging a career in the AFL.

"I definitely wouldn't be the player I am now if it wasn't for my old man," Nick said.

"If I can be half the player he is, I will be extremely happy ... that's still more than 150 games."

Sydney select Nick Blakey with pick No.10 in the 2018 National Draft.

"He’s going to be a real long-term player for them. I’ve known this family for a long time and they’re just a quality family. It’s not hard to see why this kid’s such a good person," AFL Academy coach Luke Power said.

"He’s also a special player. He’s a much better kick than his old man, that’s for sure."

Father-son and academy prospect Nick Blakey, a Sydney resident and member of the Swans’ academy, nominates the Swans as his preferred destination for 2019.

Blakey, considered a near-certain first-round draft prospect, had four options to choose from come this year’s national draft, including entering the open draft.

As the son of 359-game AFL great John Blakey, the classy left-footer was also eligible to be taken as a father-son selection by both North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions.

Father-son prospect Nick Blakey says he will leave it to later in the year before making a decision on his preferred club.

Blakey has trained with the Roos' father-son program, last year spent time at the Lions with their Academy, and has been a part of the Swans' Academy for nearly a decade since his father John Blakey joined the club's coaching panel.

"At the moment, I still have to play a lot of good football before I think about it," he said.

"Dad has a rich history at both North and Brisbane, so I'm not just focused on Sydney. I love Sydney and Sydney's home at the moment, but obviously dad won two premierships at North and started his career with the Lions which was so good for him.

"I'll keep my options open and I'm not set on what I'm going to do."

Father-son, academy prospect Nick Blakey is recovering well after being rushed to hospital following a serious concussion in the NAB AFL Academy's 106-point win over the New Zealand Hawks in Wellington.

Blakey, who was also named the side's captain for the clash, had his game cut short after hitting his head on the ground after being tackled by an opponent.

The son of former Fitzroy and North Melbourne player John is eligible to join both the Brisbane Lions and the Roos as a father-son selection, but also qualifies as an academy selection for Sydney, where he has lived while John has been an assistant coach at the club.