Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said the squad convened on Tuesday following the Sydney saga.
He emphasised the broader impact of the allegations, with his comments coming as news dropped that Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice would not be considered for selection for the rest of the season
“We chatted with the players about it yesterday and first and foremost, the football stuff is so secondary to the alleged victims in particular,” Mitchell said on Wednesday.
“We put the people lens first and foremost and the people involved and the alleged victims.
“That's where our thinking goes and the footy side of it, we put aside and it's obviously a police investigation and (we let) the AFL and the Swans deal with that side of things but we had a bit of a chat with our players about remembering the expectations that we have on ourselves and making sure we continue to live up to them.”
The Hawks coach indicated he would not take West Coast lightly, given they have challenged sides regularly at Optus Stadium this season and have often been let down by their goal-kicking accuracy as much as anything else.
The coach also confirmed that backman Tom Barrass, who has been below his All-Australian best in recent weeks, would play against West Coast despite appearing below his physical capacity.
Managing players ahead of the finals wasn't in Mitchell's purview, given that the club must win to guarantee a top-four position.
“If we manage any players, it won't be en masse. At this time of year, we've got a couple of guys feeling 100 per cent but it's round 24, everyone's carrying something and doing something,” Mitchell said.
“If we manage a player, it will be only one of something like that and it will just be because a bit of extra time off will support them.”
Sunday's match will be Jack Gunston's 300th, with Mitchell praising the on-field mentorship he provides to the forward line as his late-career renaissance continues.
Gunston has kicked 54 goals in 16 games this year after a career-best 73 last season.
“To refine his craft to the way he has, where he's so dangerous in front of the ball…the thing about Jack, and I hope this is taken respectfully, is he actually physically doesn't have an attribute that makes him a star,” Mitchell said.
“He does it through craft and guile and the way he's been able to play 299 games to this point with such a presence in the game, big game performer, he's been an extra assistant coach for me and person to talk to when I need a bit of understanding about what's happening within the group.
“I loved playing with him, he was easy to kick to and his level of game understanding, what the team needs and what he needs to do to improve the people around him is first class and I couldn't speak more highly of him as an athlete.”
