Essendon matches in doubt due to virus

Essendon could be forced to resume the AFL season without a group of their best players as the fallout continues from Conor McKenna’s positive Covid-19 test.

McKenna returned a positive result on Saturday, forcing yesterday’s planned EssendonMelbourne at the MCG to be postponed indefinitely.

The club’s immediate playing future – including scheduled matches against Carlton (June 27) and Collingwood (July 3) in the next fortnight – is uncertain.

Victoria’s chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said the Department of Health and Human Services will advise ‘‘close contacts’’ of McKenna to go into quarantine for two weeks.

‘‘DHHS advice will be to quarantine all of those identified close contacts for two weeks from the time of exposure,’’ Professor Sutton

said. ‘‘If that individual [McKenna] has trained with such a number that they won’t be able to play, then that’s how they will have to proceed.

‘‘But if they can manage with the existing player list, minus those close contacts, then they will proceed.’’

News Corp reported that McKenna had trained in a small group with Adam Saad, Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Matt Guelfi, Jordan Ridley and Mason

Redman. It could mean the Bombers are left without a group of their best defenders for the next fortnight.

But Dillon said AFL rules are ‘‘pretty clear’’ on clubs playing matches while players are in quarantine.

‘‘As long as we have 22 players and a couple of emergencies you are able to have a team,’’ Dillon said.