Emma Ilijoski is free to resume her place in the Canberra United backline against Adelaide on Saturday after receiving a negative PCR test result on Friday morning.
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The left back missed Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Perth Glory in Sydney after a rapid test taken the day before showed a positive result, but is now clear to slot straight back into Vicki Linton's XI as Canberra chases a much-needed first win of the season.
Ilijoski's forced absence was the latest blow for United during a COVID-hit season, and came just days after last weekend's match against Western Sydney was postponed due to virus cases in the Wanderers camp.
"It's going to be something we're going to have to continue to deal with, Emma's not going to be the first one," Canberra striker Ashleigh Sykes said.
"It's affecting everyone in Australia and it's affecting a lot of the sporting teams around the place as well.
"We just need to be flexible. The team got good last year at being flexible with match scheduling, now we have to get used to whether players will be in our out."
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Under league protocols, Canberra United players are required to return a negative rapid antigen test the day before a game, and on the day of a game to be able to take the field.
Should a player show a positive result, they are then required to seek a PCR test - results of which can take up to three days as in Ilijoski's case.
Sykes said her teammates were doing everything they could in their power to avoid catching the virus.
"Someone said yesterday 40 per cent of the cases in NSW are [people] in their 20s, I think. It's just the lifestyle most 20-year-olds live," Sykes said.
"Avoid high-risk areas, restaurants, pubs, big gatherings that sort of thing. We spend a lot of time training, so there's not enough time to hit up the festival scene or the nightclub scene."
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James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
