Hind opens up on exposure site drama

NICK Hind has spoken publicly for the first time since attending a COVID exposure site that kept him out of Essendon’s elimination final against the Bulldogs two weekends ago.

Hind was unable to travel with teammates to Tasmania after being notified on Wednesday night that he had attended an exposure site the previous Saturday and had been identified as a tier two contact.

The rebounding defender underwent a COVID test on Thursday morning and received the all clear five hours later, however under Tasmanian rules for the AFL was unable to enter the state.

Hind revealed it was just a quick visit for a popular lunch food that had cost him his spot in the team.

“I just snuck into the supermarket to get a roast chicken; I was in there for two minutes. It hadn’t been a hotspot yet and it was the only one in my area I could get to,” Hind told SEN Breakfast.

“Hindsight going back, I wouldn’t have gone to the supermarket at all.”

Despite his disappointment, Hind was still able to get around his teammates and see the bigger picture.

“Initially [I just felt] shock, but I quickly tried to turn my attention to the boys and was quite confident they could get the job done without me over there,” he said.

“It wasn’t meant to be, but I knew that the general public and everyone has been doing it pretty tough over here, so I didn’t sook and just tried to move on and be the best teammate I could for the boys.

“I was hoping they’d get the job done… and I could join them the week after.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was very disappointed it was quite tough watching the game on the weekend but there’s a lot of people doping it tough over here, that’s for sure.”

Despite a strong first half, Hind’s teammates couldn’t go on when it counted and eventually fell to the Bulldogs by 49 points.

After spending time on Essendon’s VFL list and then a year long stint at St Kilda last season, 2021 has been a breakout year for Hind who has averaged career high numbers as a running half back.

– BY SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN