Canterbury Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo disclosed that five players contracted Covid during the week.
This situation wasn't ideal leading up to Saturday's crucial match against the Dragons, during which star back rower Jacob Preston also received hospital treatment for an infection.
Despite these challenges, the Bulldogs secured a 44-14 victory over St. George Illawarra at Allianz Stadium, marking their highest score since 2024 and likely dooming the Dragons to the 2026 wooden spoon.
After the game, Ciraldo reflected on the difficult week, mentioning that the players' illnesses might have contributed to their earlier poor showing against South Sydney.
"These things happen in a footy season," Ciraldo stated.
"Every team goes through it… a lot of them you don't hear about.
"I was a bit harsh on the boys last week (after the 22-6 Rabbitohs loss), and then you rock up Monday and about five of them have tested positive to Covid, so no wonder they were a bit flat."
With this Round 25 victory, the Bulldogs now sit on 28 points, just trailing the Cowboys and Rabbitohs, who lost to the Warriors in Sydney.
On the plus side, the Bulldogs have a much better points differential than North Queensland.
Conversely, they now prepare for a challenging rematch against Penrith on Friday night in NRL Round 26.