New isolated Dons star McKenna’s wrestling partner
Isolated Essendon player James Stewart was the wrestling partner of his COVID-19 positive teammate Conor McKenna at a training session last Friday.
Isolated Essendon player James Stewart was the wrestling partner of his COVID-19 positive teammate Conor McKenna at a training session last Friday.
Although Stewart tested negative to the virus on Monday, he will be forced into quarantine for the next fortnight to ensure he is not incubating the illness.
The rest of the Essendon team and those inside the football department will be allowed to return to the club’s Tullamarine headquarters on Wednesday to prepare for Saturday’s game against Carlton.
The clash scheduled for last Sunday against Melbourne, which was suspended on Saturday when McKenna recorded a positive test, will be played later in the season at a date to be decided.
The AFL’s legal counsel Andrew Dillon said the scare on the weekend, which led to the league tightening training and social protocols, was a reminder of the need for caution.
“The first priority is the welfare of Conor and James. The club, with the support from the AFL, will ensure the players receive the proper support while in self-isolation,” Dillon said.
“On behalf of the AFL, I would like to thank the Department of Health and Human Services for their work undertaken and Essendon’s ability to provide thorough and detailed reporting to assist the DHHS in determining an outcome quickly.
“What has unfolded over the last few days is a reminder to the whole competition that we must continue to be vigilant.”
There had been initial concerns up to eight teammates could have been sidelined after McKenna trained with the main group on Friday before attending the club briefly on Saturday morning.
The pair will miss the Bombers’ next two games.
The low number means the club’s Round 5 clash with Collingwood will go ahead as scheduled.
Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services completed its contact tracing on Monday.
McKenna, 24, was retested along with every Essendon player for COVID-19 on Monday. Those results were returned late Monday night.
It was thought earlier on Monday McKenna might have returned a false positive on Saturday however that appears unlikely.
McKenna, who has been in isolation since Saturday, has told those around him he is feeling well and has not suffered any symptoms over the past week.
He has had three COVID-19 tests in the past four days.
The Irishman recorded a low-level irregularity on Friday, a positive test on Saturday and was retested yesterday.
It can also be revealed that McKenna attended five open-house inspections last Wednesday.
The grey area around AFL players moving house has given McKenna wriggle room to argue that inspecting multiple rental properties was not a clear violation of league rules.
McKenna also spent time with his host family on Friday. Last Monday the AFL eased their restrictions to allow players to visit the homes of “immediate family members”.
While McKenna’s host family are not blood relatives they are considered an important part of the homesick Irishman’s Melbourne life.
It comes as McKenna’s family in Northern Ireland say he was healthy when he left to return to Australia.
McKenna’s brother and brother’s partner, who live with him, have tested negative.
Mr McKenna said the family was supporting him from Northern Ireland.
Max Gawn says Melbourne is prepared to play its postponed match against Essendon “at the drop of a hat”, insisting the Bombers deserved the chance to fight for the four premiership points later in the season rather than forfeit last Sunday’s match.
And he stressed the AFL’s decision to ban contact in full training sessions until at least July 20 was “bizarre” and would become “glorified kicking circuit.”
Gawn said he didn’t agree with some assessments that the Demons should have claimed the points after the match was called off following Conor McKenna’s positive coronavirus test.
But the Melbourne skipper said it was only fair that the match goes ahead at some stage, which would mean a minimal break for the clubs between other games.
“I don’t think the points stuff comes into it really,” Gawn said on RSN.
“I think that’s got to be fair and Essendon have got to play us at some point.
“We all know this AFL season is going to be quite weird and this isn’t going to be the only case of this so I’m looking forward to potentially playing a midweek game.
“I don’t see it as a disadvantage.
“I see it as an opportunity and something the AFL could do moving forward. I know our Anzac (Eve) night game (against Richmond) last year was on a four-day break and the majority of the boys got up and played to a high level in both games.”
Gawn said he and the Melbourne players would “play at the drop of a hat to make sure the season continued.”
He said the AFL changes to player protocols announced on Monday – which included non-contact for full training groups and the winding back of player visitation rights leading into games – made it difficult for players preparing for matches.
“All 18 clubs are in the same boat … main training will just be a glorified kicking circuit now,” he said.
“When it comes to the actual contact, we’ve got to make sure we get something out of that (in groups of 8).”
He said the Demons were shattered not to play on the weekend, but made the most of a rare training session on the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
McKenna was joined by seven backline group members in a short meeting on Saturday morning and in a weights session on Friday after full contact training.
Essendon has handed its video footage of training to the Department of Health and Human Services as well as a log of all meetings and sessions in the 72 hours before McKenna’s positive test.
But the Herald Sun understands in that submission it made clear the group of defenders practised strict social distancing in meetings as well as the weights session.
Under COVID protocols Essendon’s defenders were spaced out in that weights session in a 700 square metre facility, did not spot for each other and wiped down equipment after use.
Essendon has stated to DHHS authorities that social distancing was carried out rigorously by its defensive group, including in the Saturday morning meeting when he was most contagious.
It means there remains a chance that players including Cale Hooker, Adam Saad, Michael Hurley and Mason Redman could be available.
Herald Sun
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