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Stranded Sydney Swans assistants Dean Cox, Jarrad McVeigh, Don Pyke gets green light to travel to Melbourne

The West Australian
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Sydney will have West Coast legend Dean Cox and its two other assistant coaches with the team in Melbourne after the trio were given a last-minute exception to travel.

The Swans had been preparing to become the first AFL club using assistant coaches remotely after Cox, Don Pyke and Jarrad McVeigh were caught up in Sydney’s COVID crisis.

The trio had visited a popular cafe near the Swans headquarters on Monday, which then became a hotspot location.

As a result, they were left behind in NSW as the Swans departed for Melbourne to face the undefeated Demons - despite all three testing negative to COVID.

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The Swans hastily arrived in Melbourne on Thursday night, earlier than scheduled, to prepare for the game against the Demons at the MCG and bypass any potential worsening health situation in NSW.

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But in a reprieve, the trio can now fly out for Melbourne on Friday night, but must again test positive in Victoria before rejoining the team.

Sydney chief executive Tom Harley admitted the build up was less than ideal.

“There’s no playbook for this,” Harley had lamented on SEN.

“There’s a fair bit to work through.”

It’s believed the Swans had turned to rivals GWS for advice regarding how to make the arrangement work.

Giants assistant coach Brad Miller returned home from the hub last year, but continued to be a presence in the coaches’ box and changing rooms thanks to Zoom.

Harley admitted the situation put the Swans at a significant disadvantage as they attempt to knock off unbeaten Melbourne.

“It is a significant disruption to the program and I don’t think anyone would think any less of us for putting it on the table,” he said.

“The repertoire the players have with assistants, in a lot of cases, is the most connected relationship.”

The AFL opted to keep Saturday’s GWS-Essendon game in Sydney, where Giants coach Leon Cameron noted the city remained on “high alert”.

Cameron is upbeat his team won’t be directed to flee Sydney after Saturday’s match, but was ready to roll with whatever the AFL decides.

“Every club is well equipped to jump whenever they need to jump,” Cameron told reporters.

“Clubs are ready and players are ready.

“The AFL briefing; the information and direction they give us is absolutely first class.”

-With AAP

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