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St George Illawarra players believed their illegal barbecue that breached public health orders wouldn't be a drama solely because they didn't think they'd get caught.
Ten of the Dragons' dirty dozen were read the riot act by ropeable club officials on returning to training on Monday, with Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro still absent after refusing to sign sworn statements.
Josh McGuire and Blake Lawrie also became the first visitors to Paul Vaughan's party to front the media on Tuesday, as other players took to social media and the Dragons website to apologise.
Lawrie claimed he never believed he was doing the wrong thing as the players were "in their own bubble", and had no hesitations going to the July 3 party.
But McGuire admitted the likes of he and Jack de Belin had let the club down as senior players.
"We did understand (what we were doing was wrong). We can't sit here and say we didn't," McGuire said.
"We were in Shellharbour which is a long way away from everything that was happening.
"The decision to go to the barbecue, everyone made. At the end of the day we just thought that there wasn't going to be a drama and we wouldn't get caught.
"We just thought if we kept it within the team it wasn't going to be a big deal and obviously it is."
The aftershocks from the Dragons' barbecue continued on Tuesday, with Matt Dufty, Tyrell Fuimaono and Kaide Ellis not named to face Manly and instead the first to serve their one-game bans.
Lomax and Alvaro will also miss that and the next two games, with the pair refusing to sign a sworn version of events of the night and therefore not able to fly into the Queensland bubble until Sunday.
It's now believed their decision is based on a fear they will be liable for any player who contracts COVID-19 if they sign the statement.
It comes after Paul Vaughan was sacked over the incident, leaving the Dragons without six players against the Sea Eagles.
Meanwhile McGuire claimed his call to Griffin the next day was one of the toughest of his career.
But he defended the players who hid in the house when police arrived.
"They were scared of repercussions of what would happen and I think it was just something like fight-or-flight mode," McGuire said.
"A few of us stood there and talked to police and a few boys didn't want to hang around."
Meanwhile Lawrie claimed he never thought what he was doing was wrong.
"If it crossed my mind I would have knocked it on the head straight away," the forward said.
"But I thought it was just a harmless get together and we're obviously seeing now how bad it's affected a lot of people.
When asked how the players could get it so wrong given that five million Sydney residents were in lockdown, Lawrie responded: "Because we're in our own bubble mate."
"We didn't think we were going to get away with it. We just thought it harmless."
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Image Credit: St George Illawarra Dragons Facebook
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St George Illawarra players Zac Lomax and Daniel Alvaro are facing the likelihood of a month on the sidelines as the NRL vows tough penalties for anyone who breaks their Queensland bubble.
Lomax and Alvaro remain the only two players yet to sign a sworn statement to the NRL about the details of Paul Vaughan's barbecue, including that they did not come into contact with any outsiders.
The NRL is refusing to let the pair out of their COVID-hold until Saturday unless they do so, meaning they will not be able to fly north with other players on Wednesday.
Even if they were to fly out on Sunday, the pair would then have to quarantine separately to the rest of the Dragons and then be unable to train or play with them.
It means the star centre and middle forward would realistically not be able to return until round 21 at the absolute earliest.
"There will need to be a mechanism for them, like any other player that would enter that bubble to quarantine before they rejoin the bubble," NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
"You don't want to restart a 14-day quarantine period by putting more people into it, you have to house them in a separate facility.
"It's a matter for the club, and, and for us down the track on what if any opportunity may arise to get them and other players into the bubble at a later stage."
The pair are not in St George Illawarra's bubble, with Lomax's brother Hayden unable to join as a development player given he lives with Zac.
The remainder of the Dragons' dirty dozen have returned to training, and the club received a boost on Monday with the signing of Warriors forward Jamayne Taunoa-Brown.
The prop will then be released back to the Warriors once the Dragons' bans are complete.
It comes amid questions over player behaviour in the bubble, with 12 NSW and ACT-based teams set for Queensland.
Twenty players have breached the game's bubble since the start of the Sydney outbreak last month, including Jai Arrow just days after the Dragons incident.
Each club will have one COVID-cop to ensure there are no breaches, with Abdo warning anyone who risks the competition in Queensland will be hit hard.
Queensland Premier Annastasia Palaszczuk also warned on Monday that police would monitor the team hotels.
"If someone steps on the line and breaches this in quarantine there'll be significant implications," Abdo said.
"Not just for them from a disciplinary perspective, but for the quarantine process, and essentially, the system, we're putting in place.
"I think everyone gets it. And it's very clear what the expectation is."
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Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/naparazzi/, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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A man infected with coronavirus travelled through Victoria and South Australia before testing positive in NSW.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley on Monday revealed NSW Health alerted their Victorian counterparts late on Sunday night to the man, who was infectious during his travels.
The man, who is a removalist, went through the states for work. He stayed overnight in Victoria on July 8 then drove to South Australia before returning to NSW.
Mr Foley said his department is in contact with NSW's department to get the full list of local exposure sites.
It's believed the man did travel through Melbourne.
"Our friends in Sydney are facing really challenging circumstances, and we wish them every success in their fight," Mr Foley said.
"This is now the third incursion into Melbourne and Victoria as a result of this outbreak, we've run the other two down."
Removalists are permitted workers under the state's border permit system.
It comes after Victoria recorded its 12th day of no locally acquired cases and the state shut the border to NSW and the ACT overnight, declaring them red zones under the travel permit system from 11.59pm on Sunday.
Victoria's acting chief health officer cited concerns about the risk of coronavirus transmission beyond Sydney and surrounding areas for the decision.
NSW reported 112 new local cases on Monday.
The border closure announcement was made just after 4pm on Sunday, giving little time for people to return on their existing orange zone permits.
But Victorian authorities had been foreshadowing a blanket NSW red zone declaration for days, encouraging residents to return home urgently.
Victorian residents who missed Sunday's deadline will still be allowed to enter the state but must isolate at home for 14 days.
In addition, the Victoria-NSW "border bubble" arrangement will remain intact for local residents, though they must continue to travel with proof of address.
Victorian authorities are also asking cross-border residents in both states not to travel outside the bubble at any time.
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NSW has recorded 112 new local COVID-19 cases, marking the worst day of the Greater Sydney outbreak to date.
Of the 112 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, at least 46 were out in the community for part or all of their infectious period.
"Family or close friends, unfortunately, bear the brunt of those 112 we have seen overnight," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday.
"If you put yourself at risk, you're putting your entire family - and that means extended family, as well as your closest friends and associates - at risk."
NSW has now recorded almost 680 COVID-19 cases in the community since June 16, when the Bondi cluster first emerged.
Some 18 COVID-19 patients in NSW are in intensive care, with four ventilated.
The state and federal governments, meanwhile, continue to nut out additional financial aid as the Greater Sydney lockdown drags on.
Ms Berejiklian warned on Sunday it was "highly unlikely" lockdown provisions in Greater Sydney and surrounds will be lifted as scheduled on Friday.
The state government has already committed $1.4 billion to businesses amid the lockdown, with further announcements to come this week.
Meanwhile, a "graphic" COVID-19 advertisement began airing on Sydney television screens on Sunday to highlight the seriousness of the disease.
In the ad, a young woman in a hospital bed gasps for air.
NSW Health late on Sunday advised of multiple new exposure sites in Fairfield and Fairfield Heights, including a number of medical centres and pharmacies. A Kogarah fish shop is also in the spotlight. People who have visited any of the sites are being told to get tested and self-isolate.
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NSW recorded 112 new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/dpcXzL8Y80
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 12, 2021
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