The Adelaide Crows admit breaking AFL coronavirus protocols and have apologised for a group of players training en masse.
The Crows face AFL and possibly SA Police sanctions after the group of players and an assistant coach, who were meant to be self-isolating at a golf resort at the Barossa Valley, trained together on Thursday.
Sixteen Crows players and the coach are at the Barossa Valley to serve a 14-day quarantine period after returning to South Australia from interstate.
Two groups of eight players trained together on Thursday.
The Crows deny they deliberately set out to circumvent AFL protocols which specifiy players can’t train in groups larger than two.
“No-one is out there deliberately trying to flaunt rules,” Adelaide’s head of football Adam Kelly told SEN SA radio on Friday.
“Quite simply, we have got it wrong and we own our mistake.
“We certainly didn’t set out deliberately to break any rules.
“The AFL have been at pains to have the clubs and players and staff understand that during these times, we’re training under restriction and we train in pairs only.”
In SA, which has recorded one new coronavirus case in the past 15 days, gatherings of up to 10 people are permitted.
But the AFL has set the maximum of two players training together while competition has been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was uncertain just what sanction the Crows face from league headquarters, or whether the players involved would have to re-start their 14-day isolation period.
“They (the AFL) are very disappointed, as you would expect that they would be,” Kelly said.
“The AFL have done a wonderful job in working with all state and territory governments … they have been at pains to have us understand our obligations, especially around the training protocols.
“This was a mistake that was made and should certainly not be seen as a representation of the broader industry.”
The AFL was expected to announce next week a timetable for the resumption of competition, tipped to be in mid to late June.