Western Bulldogs backman Ryan Gardner has missed his side's Round 21 clash against Hawthorn in Launceston after being denied entry to the island state after visiting a Covid-19 exposure site.
Gardner, 24, was reportedly told to remain in Victoria and enter strict isolation protocols rather than join his teammates on the flight south for their Saturday afternoon contest.
Bulldogs head coach Luke Beveridge confirmed as much in his pre-game interview with Fox Footy.
"'Gardy' unfortunately was on the end of a 14-day Tier 2 exposure, so we couldn't consider him," he said.
The Smithton born product becomes the latest in a line of stars forced to trade the playing field for their loungeroom, after a trifecta of players in Rowan Marshall, Toby Greene and Callum Mills were forced to sit out for a week after visiting exposure sites across the Victorian capital in July.
The Whitten Oval club missed Gardner during their match against the lowly Hawks, with the premierships fancies humbled by a margin of 27-points in a decidedly scrappy contest.