Two young North Melbourne Football Club players have been forced to apologise after ignoring social distancing recommendations by throwing a house party on Sunday night.
Nick Larkey and Cameron Zurhaar, both 21 years old, reportedly held a gathering of other North Melbourne players at the home that they share in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Kensington on Sunday night.
Following the Roos win over St Kilda at an empty Marvel Stadium and the subsequent postponing of the 2020 AFL men’s season by league officials, Larkey and Zurhaar reportedly gathered teammates at their home for a gathering that is said to have exceeded 10 people in number.
Neighbours were alerted to the noise, which lasted well into the early hours of the morning, leading to one neighbour to confront the party over their lax social distancing.
A neighbour told the ABC that after approaching Zurhaar and Larkey about the ruckus, they responded “we all work together so if one of us has it, we all have it.”
While police weren’t called to the premises, club officials were notified this morning and both players have since apologised and acknowledged that it wasn’t exactly a good look.
North Melbourne officials issued a short statement reading “The players unreservedly apologise and understand it was inappropriate in the current climate.”
Mere hours after the incident took place, Premier Daniel Andrews lambasted people flaunting social distancing guidelines by hosting house parties, stating “[you can’t] have all your mates round to your home and get on the beers, that’s not appropriate. It’s not essential. It’s not needed. All it will do is spread the virus.”
AFL players are being allowed to return to their home states during the league shut down, with various reports suggesting some club players may have to forgo pay during the limbo.
Meanwhile, the AFL itself has stood down around 80% of its staff as it moves into a self-preservation mode, with the remaining skeleton staff agreeing to a 20% pay cut.
