Two rugby players pulled from match in swine flu precaution; other players quarantined

Players pulled from match in swine flu precaution

BRISBANE, Australia — Two players were forced to sit out a top flight Australian rugby league match on Monday and at least nine others were quarantined after a player tested positive for swine flu, National Rugby League officials said.

Gold Coast forward Ashley Harrison and St. George Illawarra winger Darius Boyd were pulled from Monday’s NRL match on the Gold Coast as swine flu concerns gripped the league.

They were the only two players from the Gold Coast and St. George Illawarra teams who were in camp with Queensland for last Wednesday’s State of Origin match. Bulldogs forward Ben Hannant, who was part of that Queensland team, remains the only confirmed swine flu case in the NRL.

All members of the Queensland Origin team have been placed in quarantine and will remain so for a further 72 hours unless otherwise directed by health officials.

“We have spent considerable time consulting health authorities to ensure that we are following all proper advice,” NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said in a statement. “Clearly we are dealing with a major public health issue and the NRL is committed to working closely with the health authorities.”

Earlier Monday, it was confirmed that Hannant contracted the illness after playing against New South Wales in Melbourne.

In keeping with Queensland Health regulations, the Brisbane Broncos said Monday six of their players who were on the Origin team with Hannant — including club, state and national captain Darren Lockyer — would be quarantined and had taken Tamiflu medication as a precaution.

The other Brisbane players — Israel Folau, Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday, Justin Hodges and Peter Wallace — did not train on Monday, but they were in attendance and Lockyer confirmed to local media that they had been quarantined.

Three Queensland players from the North Queensland Cowboys club as well as Cowboys coach Neil Henry and fitness advisor Billy Johnstone, who were part of the Queensland coaching staff for the Origin match, were also being quarantined.

Over the weekend, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in Australia rose above 1,000, more than triple the number just one week ago, the health department said. The vast majority of the cases — 874 — were in the southern state of Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital.