Mum, what has happened – what did they do?”

I wasn’t really ready for this type of conversation with Miss Nine.

But when the Sydney Swans footballers hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, media saturation of the story and widespread condemnation meant there was no escaping a difficult conversation.

Too young to fully understand – heck, I could not rationalise in my brain why they would behave the way they did – I had to think quickly about how exactly I was going to explain it.

She knew they were in trouble, and had behaved badly, so initially it was a matter of just explaining the matter of the alleged sexual assault, and having a conversation about what that meant and the repercussions. 

As more details were publicised as the week progressed – particularly the hiring of adult entertainers and the drug use – I decided to not go there.

She has no idea that adult entertainers even exist in this world, and I wasn’t ready to have that conversation with her. 

Miss Nine was horrified to hear about the sexual assault claims against AFL footballers – she didn’t need to know more details of the sordid saga.

With her mum a journalist and the news being a big part of our family’s life, she is exposed to probably more than the average nine-year-old.

I would much rather her hear about it from me than in the schoolyard or somewhere else, so we try our best to explain news items at her level of understanding and be there to answer her questions.

But, on the other hand, as a parent, if I can keep her innocence a little bit longer, then I’ll lap it up.

I suspect I wasn’t the only parent across Australia having the same conversations – particularly those households that are Sydney Swans fans.

To have your child idolise Swans players, particularly those superstars of the AFL that were involved, would result in such a difficult conversation to have last week.

Hearing stories of children who were planning to dress up as Isaac Heeney, who has released a series of children’s books, for Book Week but having to be told by their parents that it wasn’t a good idea, is heartbreaking.

There are so many ramifications to come out of the incident – obviously firstly with the alleged victims and the impact on their lives – but also how the police investigation will play out and the legal ramifications.

Then there is the impact on the Sydney Swans – their AFLW and women employed at the club, sponsors, reputation and standing in the community, the players themselves and what it means for their careers and personal relationships, and then the effect on their teammates and what that means for their finals series.

But there is also the impact on the wider AFL community.

Miss Nine is not even that big of an AFL fan, but as a football-loving household, footy is always on the TV and discussed in our family. 

I would hate to think about the impact this incident has had on young Swans’ fans.

It has not only burst their bubble about their ideas of their heroes and favourite players, but it may just have taken away a little bit of their innocence.

The incident has not only had a profound effect on those directly involved, but it’s been a sad and sorry day for AFL football, and its fans.

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