‘We are a club that supports our own’: Cox says Swans will rally behind Adams after alleged assault

Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox says the whole football club is supporting Taylor Adams as the midfielder continues to recover after an alleged assault outside a licensed venue in Rose Bay on Saturday night.

According to police, the 32-year-old former Magpie and Giants midfielder was punched in the face by a man after an argument with two men he did not know. Adams briefly lost consciousness after being struck.

Cox said Adams had been trying to make his way home before the alleged assault occurred at Tingira Memorial Park, in front of Rose Bay beach and across the road from Club Rose Bay. He said the player’s wellbeing remained the Swans’ primary concern.

“The conversations we have with Taylor, Ellie, his wife, and the surrounding people at the football club is something we addressed as soon as we came in Monday morning,” Cox said on Tuesday.

“We are a football club that support our own, and we do that immensely. We make sure that everything’s good at home, everything’s fine with Ellie, and provide as much [support] as we possibly can.

“There is constant dialogue, there are visits, there is some other stuff that we also do. We’ll continue to do that and just go across the guidance of how Taylor’s feeling.”

Adams wrote on social media on Monday night that the matter was in the hands of NSW Police, which is investigating the incident.

“To everyone who has sent their love, thank you. I am doing OK. This is now a police matter and I won’t be commenting further,” Adams wrote on Instagram.

The 32-year-old was released from hospital on Sunday morning and was not on the training track with teammates on Monday as the club monitored his health following the incident.

Cox said the club addressed players about socialising in Sydney on an annual basis.

“We touch on that every year, about making sure that we understand the role of what we have in the community, who we represent – but then on top of that, just to be careful, no matter where you are,” Cox said. “The scenarios that you might face, players are aware of and hopefully, you make the right decision at the right time.”

NSW Police told this masthead on Tuesday that its inquiries were continuing, and no arrests had been made or charges laid.

Police became aware of the incident soon after it occurred outside the revamped Club Rose Bay, which re-opened in December. The alleged assailants were not identified at the scene.

Adams has been battling an Achilles injury this pre-season as he enters the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Swans at the end of 2023. The tough on-baller was restricted to just four matches in 2025 after suffering a series of hamstring issues. Adams is expected to return to full training in the next three weeks.

He has played 229 matches, was All-Australian in 2020 and won Collingwood’s best and fairest the same year. An injury suffered at training before the 2023 preliminary final robbed him of the chance to play in the Magpies’ premiership that season.

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