Demons keep coaches away after bug bites

MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin has been placed in isolation as the Demons fear a Geelong-like virus sweeping through the club a week out from their first grand final in 21 years.

Goodwin cancelled a Friday morning press conference after he and assistant coach Adem Yze complained of gastro-like symptoms.

They were confined to their rooms as a precaution at Perth’s Joondalup resort – away from the playing group.

Geelong was handed a body blow and its finals hopes scuppered by a bug that ran through the team in the lead up to its preliminary final clash with Melbourne in Perth.

Jeremy Cameron, Cameron Guthrie, Esava Ratugolea, Brad Close and Lachie Henderson were all unwell in the 48 hours before the game, while star forward Tom Hawkins vomited at halftime.

The Cats had been staying at Tradewinds hotel in Fremantle – where the Western Bulldogs are now staying – in the lead up to thrashing at the hands of the Demons.

Melbourne assistant coach Troy Chaplin took the Demons for a training session on Friday morning before telling a media conference that Goodwin and Yze had “woken up a little bit crook”.

“They’ll be fine come tomorrow but the club didn’t want to take any risks and the docs said just to stay back (from training),” Chaplin said.

“It’s a pretty light session today, so all the other coaches and a few of the staff will help us out.

“I think that’s always a concern, but at the moment it’s just those two boys who have woken up a little bit ill but all the players are going to be right to go.

“Given the stakes at hand it’s important to make sure we don’t have something sweep through the whole club so the doctors are just playing it really safe.”

The club revealed Yze had his second Covid-19 vaccination on Thursday.

Players and staff have received regular Covid-19 tests and there are currently only three known active Covid cases in Western Australia.