ALL PLAYERS from seven of the eight Victorian AFLW teams have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination, womens.afl has confirmed.
Victorian government regulations around permitted workers (which professional athletes fall into) mean players and staff had to have had at least their first dose by Friday, October 15 in order to continue their pre-season training.
St Kilda said it was unable to confirm the vaccination status of its players due to medical confidentiality.
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Clubs have a weekly PCR COVID-19 test, with Collingwood, GWS, Melbourne, North Melbourne and Richmond among the clubs to also use the rapid antigen testing before each training session as an extra layer of protection.
Geelong currently only uses it with their Melbourne-based players, given the case numbers in the metro area compared to the regions, but could expand it to the entire squad in the future.
The antigen test received a big tick when it picked up a positive case at Richmond, before the player entered the club for training on Saturday.
The player then had a PCR test, which confirmed the positive result, and the Tigers have currently suspended their training program. No other players have tested positive, and a few have been spotted training individually.
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Carlton coach Daniel Harford confirmed the vaccination status of his side on Wednesday.
"As a club, we're really encouraging all our players and staff to get vaccinated," Carlton coach Daniel Harford said.
"We're pretty lucky, we've had all of our players get involved in that.
"I was very happy to have my vaccinations done because I see pretty good advice from all the health authorities and the officials."
Blues skipper Kerryn Harrington said the regulations in order to keep being involved in the footy program were "pretty clear".
"We respect everyone's rights to make their own informed choice but obviously we were all very happy to get on board," she said.
"It's just another step for us being able to move forward and be in at the club."
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