Steffie Waters has sent a defiant message to ex-fiancé Isaac Heeney, making it clear she has no intention of disappearing from Sydney Swans circles as she parties through her heartbreak alongside the AFL star’s own teammates and their partners.
The blonde has been living it up in Texas alongside a host of familiar faces, including Emily Twycross, the girlfriend of Swans midfielder James Jordon, who was also embroiled in the hotel scandal that brought Heeney’s engagement to an end.
Heeney and Jordon, along with players Nick Blakey, Chad Warner and Riley Bice, were sensationally suspended for the remainder of the AFL season following a wild private party at Melbourne’s Pullman hotel in August.
Three strippers who had been hired to perform lap dances later claimed to police they had been sexually assaulted; however, no charges have been laid and the players have denied criminal wrongdoing.
But while Heeney’s relationship with Waters crumbled in the wake of the scandal, Jordon and Twycross have presented a very different picture.
The couple were spotted strolling through Randwick in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on September 25, with Twycross appearing relaxed and affectionate towards her boyfriend.
Steffie Waters has sent a defiant message to ex-fiancé Isaac Heeney, making it clear she has no intention of disappearing from Sydney Swans circles as she parties through her heartbreak
Steffie has been enjoying time in Texas with Swans WAGs Annie Papley (centre left) and Emily Twycross (right)
Waters posed wearing a white singlet bearing the provocative slogan, ‘Daddy’s home’ – a far cry from the heartbroken woman who fled to Noosa in the days after the scandal erupted
Also firmly in Waters’ corner is Annie Papley, the wife of Swans forward Tom Papley, with the pair featuring in happy snaps shared on social media during the US getaway.
The group has been spotted soaking up the nightlife in Austin, with former AFL player Billy Gowers and his wife Ava also joining the festivities.
Footage posted on socials shows Waters enjoying a music festival on a mystery man’s shoulders. He pulled his cowboy hat over his face as the video panned to him.
In one photo, Waters posed with friends wearing a white singlet bearing the provocative slogan, ‘Daddy’s home’ – a far cry from the heartbroken woman who fled to Noosa in the days after the scandal erupted.
While Waters regularly tags fellow WAGs, including Twycross, in her social media posts, Annie has not previously featured prominently on her Instagram page.
However, the connection between their partners stretches back years, with Heeney and Tom Papley appearing together at social events as far back as 2022.
Former Swans midfielder Ryan Clarke, who played alongside both men before leaving the club in 2023, is another familiar face on the group trip.
Clarke now has business interests in Austin, where he is developing fitness and wellness startup Goer.
Waters regularly tags fellow WAG Twycross in her social media posts
Fellow ‘Pullman Five’ member James Jordon and partner Emily Twycross were spotted strolling through Randwick in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in September, with their relationship proving far more resilient than that of Heeney and Waters
The holiday comes almost a year after the Daily Mail revealed that Waters had called off her engagement to Heeney, who proposed during a romantic getaway to French Polynesia in October 2025.
The couple had been together for several years and purchased a property in Maroubra last year, with plans to renovate it together.
But their relationship was thrown into turmoil following Heeney’s suspension, with friends of the couple telling the Daily Mail that Waters could not forgive what she saw as a ‘betrayal’ after he partied with strippers.
It is understood that Heeney spent weeks trying to save their relationship and even whisked her off to Fiji in a last-ditch attempt to secure forgiveness.
The holiday comes almost a year after the Mail revealed Waters had called off her engagement to Heeney, who proposed during a romantic getaway to French Polynesia in October 2025
It is understood that Heeney spent weeks trying to save their relationship and even whisked Waters off to Fiji in a last-ditch attempt to secure forgiveness
Waters’ glamorous holiday snaps are understood to be the talk of the Swans WAGs this week
But after weeks of soul-searching, friends say Waters ultimately could not move past what she considered an act of infidelity.
Waters subsequently removed their engagement photograph and other prominent images of Heeney from her Instagram page, although some photographs remain within older gallery posts.
Heeney, meanwhile, has deleted his Instagram account and has told friends he is still desperate to reconcile with his long-term partner.
The footballer, who has kept a low profile since the allegations broke, was recently photographed leaving a Thai massage parlour in Sydney while Waters continued her American getaway.
Despite the turmoil, Heeney was named the Swans’ best and fairest player for the third consecutive season, although he did not attend the club’s awards night.
All five suspended players later returned to the club for end-of-season meetings. Blakey was this week traded to North Melbourne.
It comes after the Mail identified the man suspected of making a secret recording of the Swans strippers discussing the alleged hotel incident.
Businessman and AFL fanatic Oliver Swan was living with one of three women hired to perform lap dances at a private party held at the Pullman hotel on August 17.
Colourful Melbourne businessman Oliver Swan was living with one of three women hired to perform lap dances at a private party at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel. He is suspected to have made a secret recording before alerting the Swans to its existence
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were at a party that evening where three adult entertainers later claimed to police they had been sexually assaulted. Bice was later reclassified as a witness
Heeney, who recently split from his fiancée Steffie Waters, is seen in Maroubra last Thursday
In the days following, Mr Swan was present during a private conversation in which the women discussed, in detail, what had unfolded that evening.
During that discussion, Mr Swan is suspected to have secretly recorded the women without their knowledge or consent, before contacting the Sydney Swans to reveal its existence.
Under Victorian law, a person can legally record a private conversation without the knowledge or consent of others, provided they are a participant in the discussion.
While there are restrictions on sharing or publishing such recordings, Mr Swan is not believed to have handed the audio to the Sydney Swans, but is suspected to have alerted the club to its existence.
Rumours of a secret recording began circulating within weeks of the investigation being launched, but it is understood Mr Swan’s housemate only recently suspected his involvement in the matter.
She has since severed all ties, with those close to her saying she perceived his alleged actions as the ‘ultimate betrayal’.
When the Daily Mail contacted Mr Swan to ask about his version of events, the businessman reacted to the reporter’s message with a love heart emoji and then changed his profile picture to a clearer image.
In a baffling twist, he then pleaded ignorance – despite his identity having already been made public by Outlaw Media – saying: ‘I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.
‘What girls? I am fully confused.’
He later declined to comment on or off the record as it is understood the matter is under investigation.
The woman has since severed all ties, with those close to her saying she perceived his actions as a ‘shocking betrayal’. (Stock image posed by model)
Rumours of a secret recording began circulating within weeks of the investigation being launched
The contents of the recording have not been publicly released, and a friend of the women said they were unable to recall precisely what they had discussed or what the recording captured.
‘The days after are a bit of a blur as to what they said to who. They made police statements, they had meetings with their [civil] lawyers, talked to several friends and even media,’ the friend said.
‘So they are not completely certain what was even said.
‘But this flatmate (allegedly) recorded them – in secret – and later contacted the Swans about it.’
The club subsequently alerted the AFL Integrity Unit, which passed the information to Victoria Police.
Detectives then executed a search warrant at a Melbourne property in early September and seized the recording as part of their investigation.
‘We don’t exactly know what his intentions were,’ the friend said.
Others familiar with Mr Swan described him as a passionate AFL supporter who has rubbed shoulders with some of the sport’s most recognisable figures, including former Collingwood premiership player Dane Swan (no relation).
Mr Swan is no stranger to public controversy, having previously made headlines during his time as a co-owner of Melbourne’s GoBoat business.
In 2023, he found himself at the centre of a heated debate after footage of a single-scull rower capsizing on the Yarra River, after attempting to avoid a GoBoat that crossed his path, went viral.
The rower was left clinging to his overturned craft, with the footage sparking debate about boating etiquette and safety on the busy waterway.
While much of the criticism was directed at the GoBoat customers, Mr Swan attracted backlash when he publicly argued the ‘rower is at fault’ for the incident.
The following year, his business was again thrust into the headlines after a group of teenagers carried out a viral prank in which they threw milk over women who had hired one of the company’s boats.
This week marks two months since the wild party at the Pullman Hotel
Police launched an investigation into the incident, while Mr Swan remarked ‘kids will be kids’.
But sources told the Daily Mail that Mr Swan had departed the company in the months that followed.
‘He still has himself listed on his LinkedIn as the owner but there were some financial concerns around the business and Olly left some time ago,’ a source said.
The source also claimed Mr Swan had experienced a series of personal and business difficulties in recent years.
Court records show he was involved in two separate rental disputes in 2026. The outcomes of those proceedings, and the precise circumstances surrounding them, have not been established.
