NORTH Melbourne ball-magnet Ash Riddell has revealed the Roos missed three training sessions in the lead-up to their round one win over Geelong.
Kangaroos skipper Emma Kearney was the only confirmed player to miss with the AFL's health and safety protocols, having been diagnosed with COVID-19 the week prior, but there was a knock-on effect for the rest of the group.
"We (North Melbourne) had a really challenging week, last week-and-a-half, we missed three trainings in the lead-up to round one," Riddell told Credit to the Girls podcast.
"It was quite chaotic at times. I think a few teams are experiencing it this week too.
"I feel like we were at the tip of the rollercoaster last week and we had a really resilient performance to get through, because we had a fair few girls missing with the health and safety protocols, one of them being Emma Kearney."
Sophie Abbatangelo, Ellie Gavalas and Britt Gibson were the notable senior players to miss the game against the Cats, but the club did not clarify whether this was due to health and safety protocols, injury or form.
EPISODE GUIDE
0:50 – North Melbourne's win over Geelong
2:00 – Riddell's record 35-disposal, 22-contested possession performance
3:30 – Getting overlooked in two drafts
6:20 – COVID and Emma Kearney's new role
8:03 – Mia King's NAB AFLW Rising Star nomination
10:45 – Taking on Adelaide for the first time since 2020
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