A second Raiders staff member has tested positive to COVID-19, while coach Ricky Stuart has halted preseason training until January 5 as the club grapples this week's virus outbreak.
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No players have yet returned a positive test result, but the majority of the squad and coaching staff are in isolation until at least Monday.
Those who came in contact with the second positive case will be required to lock down until at least Wednesday, pending a second negative test result.
The initial COVID positive at the club, a member of the football department who is believed to have contracted the virus while in Newcastle, tested positive on Wednesday.
He was last in at the club on Monday, in close contact with multiple players and staff who urgently presented for testing on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Stuart consulted with new head trainer Jeremy Hickmans on Wednesday about preseason training options amid the virus outbreak.
Tuesday, December 21 had been locked in as the last day of preseason training this year before players broke for Christmas - prior to the initial COVID positive.
One option was to train up until Christmas Eve and return later in new year, but Stuart and Hickmans took the chance to gift the players an early finish and maintain the January 5 return date.
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"We thought that it was unfair for the players that had already planned to go away and be with families over Christmas, we felt that was more important than training," Stuart said.
"Instead of pushing back into middle of January we kept our return date the same. We've just given them this bit of time off into our break next week and just asked them to make sure that they commit to their work over the period that they're away."
Players and staff were in isolation on Thursday afternoon when they received news that head of recruitment Peter Mulholland had lost his long battle with cancer.
His death, which drew tributes from across the world, ended a brave three-and-a-half year battle, and came after a late flurry of Raiders player movement to end 2021.
Local junior Nick Cotric rejoined the club this week on a three-year deal, filling the gap left by Bailey Simonsson who left immediately for Parramatta earlier this month.
Simonsson's exit came on the same day veteran hooker Josh Hodgson committed to the Eels from 2023, ending long-running speculation about his future.
Cotric arrived in Canberra earlier this week, but is yet to link up with his Raiders teammates due to the COVID outbreak.
The club is anxiously awaiting further test results over the weekend, and is in constant contact with ACT Health for advice on how to best navigate the outbreak.
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James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
