Geelong are adamant Tom Hawkins will be fit to play in the AFL grand final against Richmond despite the Coleman medallist missing Tuesday’s training session through illness.
A club spokesperson said Hawkins had been told to stay away from teammates after feeling unwell.
The power forward has a sore throat, an ailment believed to have been passed on by one of his children.
Hawkins’ young family is staying with him at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast, where a small group of Geelong players with families are based.
The majority of the Cats’ travelling party is based a few kilometres away at the hotel adjacent to their Southport Sharks training ground.
After attending Geelong’s Brownlow function with wife Emma on Sunday night, Hawkins was pulled out of a pre-arranged press conference on Monday with what the club said was a family commitment.
He was replaced by fellow veteran Harry Taylor and rescheduled to speak to the media on Thursday.
That is now in some doubt but the Cats say there is no chance Hawkins will miss the decider, with the 32-year-old’s training absence on Tuesday viewed purely as a precaution.
Tickets sold on Monday were only open to club members who were in Queensland or in states where there is travel allowed into Queensland.
Further tickets could become available on Thursday if certain allocations aren’t fulfilled.
The crowd for the grand final is capped at 30,000 by the state government.
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