Multiple Geelong stars were struck down by illness in lead-up to preliminary final belting
At least six Geelong players are believed to have been fighting an illness in the lead-up to the team's preliminary final humiliation against Melbourne, according to multiple reports.
According to a Fox Footy report, Cam Guthrie, Tom Hawkins, Jeremy Cameron, Brad Close and Lachie Henderson were all under the weather in the days leading into the 83-point hiding on Friday night.
While it is unclear exactly what the condition was that impacted the Cats' veteran playing group, it is understood that it was serious enough for Geelong to contact the AFL.
The issue is believed to have impacted the group after its Thursday training session prior to the preliminary final.
Tom Hawkins managed just one goal in the 83-point loss against Melbourne Getty
After his side was bounced out of the finals, coach Chris Scott refused to use any excuses, but admitted his side had become "pretty battered".
"We've fallen short and it's a bitter pill to swallow, but our club has over a long period of time found a way to recover from difficult situations," the Cats coach said.
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"We're in that situation again where we've got a choice to make: We can roll over or we can take the time we need to regroup.
"We were pretty battered towards the end of the season, not just the last couple of weeks but probably the six weeks leading into the finals series.
Cam Guthrie was one of Geelong's better players in the preliminary final despite being struck down by an illness in the lead-up Getty
"There's a few things that I won't speak about tonight that will become clearer over the next few weeks, but suffice to say, I'm proud of the way our guys endured and we just completely ran out of steam by tonight."
While all six named players were able to take part in the game, a number of them were well below their best, including Cameron, who was held to just four disposals.
The highest-paid NRL players of the 2021 finals series
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Six Geelong players failed to collect at least ten disposals in the loss, with veteran forward Gary Rohan held to just a solitary disposal.
The loss in the preliminary final was Geelong's fifth in its last six preliminary final appearances, with the sole win coming last year against Brisbane.
