MELBOURNE — The ripple effects of the scandal surrounding the Sydney Swans have spilled into the personal lives of its star players, with AFL WAG Steffie Waters taking drastic steps to erase visible traces of her fiancé, Isaac Heeney, from her Instagram feed.
The high-profile social media scrub comes as Victoria Police intensify their investigation into serious sexual assault allegations involving five Sydney Swans players—Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, and James Jordon—following an August 17 incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel.
The first sign of Heeney on her page is a video which was posted in January 2024, though there are more recent photos of him buried in carousels from this year
A Digital Erasure
Waters carried out a major edit of her public profile on Tuesday, deleting several photos of Heeney and burying remaining images deep within multi-photo carousels. Her once-vibrant grid—previously a public chronicle of their life together—now exclusively showcases solo activities and moments with friends.
AFL WAG Steffie Waters has done a massive edit on her Instagram page, removing fiancé Isaac Heeney, 30, from her public-facing photos on the account. Both pictured
The move follows her recent deletion of the couple’s October 2023 engagement post, in which she proudly displayed her diamond ring after Heeney proposed in French Polynesia. The 30-year-old midfielder has since completely deleted his own Instagram account.
Waters appeared to do a reshuffle of her social media posts on Tuesday amid the ongoing fallout from the Sydney Swans sexual assault allegations last month. She buried images of Heeney, 30, in carousels of other photos and removed a few more, purging her forward-facing grid of any sign of the footy player. Pictured: Waters’ Instagram page before (L) and after (R) the reshuffle
The sudden social media cleansing has sparked intense speculation over the status of their upcoming wedding and relationship. Earlier this month, Waters was spotted in Noosa in tears and without her engagement ring. While a family relative has since dismissed breakup rumors—claiming the ring was simply undergoing repairs after a stone fell out and confirming the pair remain engaged—Waters’ latest online moves suggest growing tension.
Club Suspensions and Criminal Investigation
The social media drama unfolds against the backdrop of one of the AFL’s most damaging scandals in recent memory.
All five players involved have been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 season for breaching club standards. The disciplinary action followed revelations that adult entertainers were brought back to the team hotel during an late-night outing.
It comes after Waters deleted her and Heeney’s engagement photo from her social media page amid the ongoing fallout from the Sydney Swans scandal
Victoria Police are currently investigating allegations of indecent assault inside one of the hotel rooms, with three women coming forward to retain legal representation and explore potential civil action. Authorities are reportedly preparing to interview the five players as the probe enters a critical phase.
Represented by prominent Melbourne criminal defense attorney Tony Hargreaves, the players have strongly denied any criminal wrongdoing. No charges have been laid, and police investigations remain ongoing.