Essendon Football Club can advise defender Nick Hind is unable to travel to Tasmania after recently visiting a Tier 2 exposure site.

Hind visited a supermarket at the Altona Gate Shopping Centre on Saturday, August 21. He received notification from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on Wednesday afternoon, informing him that the supermarket has now been identified as a Tier 2 exposure site.

In line with DHHS guidelines, Hind underwent an immediate test and quarantine until he received his test negative result on Friday morning.

A condition of entry into Tasmania stipulates that any member of the travelling party must not have visited a Tier 1 or Tier 2 exposure site in the 14-day period prior to arrival.  Due to this rule, Nick will be unable to take his place in the side to play the Bulldogs on Sunday.

General manager of football Josh Mahoney said the most important factor was protecting the health and safety of the Tasmanian community.

“We understand the reasons for these protocols and respect the Tasmanian guidelines, which treat Tier 1 and Tier 2 exposure sites as the same risk,” Mahoney said.

“This means that Nick will be unable to enter the state and won’t play in our first final against the Bulldogs.

“This is obviously an unfortunate situation for Nick to be in. He briefly visited a supermarket for a takeaway lunch and has followed the correct procedures, including QR codes while cooperating fully with the AFL and DHHS guidelines.”

“The club has been in constant dialogue with the Tasmanian Government throughout this period and respect their health and safety protocols, which are designed to protect their local community.

“Given Nick’s negative test result, the club will work with the AFL and the relevant state bodies on his availability for future finals should we continue to qualify.”