Brisbane Lions chief executive Greg Swann has denied suggestions that a wild trip to Las Vegas last November was the reason for the team’s stuttering start to the 2024 AFL season, as a leaked WhatsApp group chat threatens to cause chaos.
Swann’s refusal comes despite a crisis meeting involving the club’s management taking place on Good Friday.
According news corporationThe meeting addressed the “rifts” that developed in Sin City, with the traveling party consisting of about 10 people, mostly gamers.
It is understood that a member who traveled to the US accidentally uploaded a WhatsApp group chat to iCloud on his phone.
That person’s partner then accessed the WhatsApp group chat in their country, which detailed what was happening abroad.
Brisbane Lions chief executive Greg Swann has denied suggestions that a wild trip to Las Vegas last November was the reason for the team’s stuttering start to the 2024 season.
The denial comes despite a crisis meeting organized on Good Friday by the club’s leadership group (pictured is co-captain Lachie Neale). Daily Mail Australia does not suggest he was involved in any way in the reported fallout from the Las Vegas trip.
Those messages were then shared with other partners, who were said to be furious at some of the wild antics described in the group chat.
Veteran AFL reporter Caroline Wilson confirmed on 3AW Radio that some players left the end-of-season trip early.
“Some photographs, nothing very incriminating, but some photographs that the partners didn’t like could have been accidentally sent home,” Wilson said.
‘Some players went home early as a result of this and at least one key player and his partner have (since) parted ways.
‘Whether that was simply because of what happened on the trip or not, I don’t know.
‘It is also true that some players were not happy to have been exposed.
“Danny Daly, the Lions’ head of football, as a result of reports and rumours, on Monday called (co-captain) Harris Andrews and he called Lachie Neale and said: ‘Look, you have to confess to me if there is something’ about this? Is there a division in the playgroup? Are people getting sad?
“The two leaders vehemently denied it.”
The Shattered Lions stars are shown leaving the field after their loss to Collingwood on Thursday night. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any of these players are involved in the shocking report about an end-of-season trip to Las Vegas.
Lions chief executive Swann also insisted the group of players stay together.
‘Is there a split in a group?’ Well, no, there isn’t,” Swann said.
It’s pure nonsense. There is no division in the group. This (trip) was in November, by the way. It’s not the reason we’re not going to do well.
It’s just that some of our good guys aren’t in shape. “We asked all the leaders again and they said, ‘No, there is nothing at all’ in terms of a split in the group.”
On Friday, a report claimed some Brisbane Lions stars had split from their partners due to the messy fallout from the end-of-season trip, and teammates are having “difficult conversations” with each other as a result.
Footy reporter Sam McLure raised the claims on a radio station. 3AWsaying that team sources insist that the playing group remain on the same page, despite the drama.
“From what I’ve been told by people within the club, there have certainly been some headaches since the trip to the United States at the end of last year between 10 players, a good portion of whom were Brisbane players,” McClure said.
‘He ended up in Las Vegas and some information reached his loved ones that was not very well received.
‘It has caused divisions in some relationships. It has caused other relationships between players and partners to end.
“It’s even been suggested to me today that it has sparked some difficult conversations between teammates about what happened on that trip to America.”
Lions coach Chris Fagan (pictured) says there is no easy way out of the team’s poor form, which has seen them lose two out of two at home this year after remaining unbeaten at the Gabba throughout the 2023 season.
After the season-opening loss to Carlton, Lions superstar Neale erupted in an unusual outburst when he accused some players of ‘shitting’ his teammates.
“(There was) a little bit of selfishness… we probably went with some easy options,” he said after the Blues came back from a big deficit to win.
“We don’t go deep and you’re basically shitting on your teammates.”
After the loss to Collingwood on Thursday night, Brisbane’s third in a row, coach Chris Fagan admitted they were in a “bit of a slump” and his job was to help his players rediscover the magic of game day.
He also admitted that the response to his shocking form is “not obvious.”
‘Some of our players are not at their best at the moment; “I can’t tell you why,” he said.
‘That’s sport for you. ‘It’s a good challenge. You talk to them about what they are good at and reinforce that.
‘The form comes and goes. So it’s just positivity, but also honesty. They have been good players, we will not press the panic button.
“I’ve trusted them for a long time and they’ve delivered, so I’m not going to abandon them just because we’ve lost three in a row.”