High profile recruits Alex Smout and Angus Baker were ruled out with COVID after attending the same function in Canberra last Saturday night (June 18).

"We're mates with the guy who was breaking the games record at Eastlake,' Smout revealed.

"Early on Monday, I knew something was up."

"It was only 24 hours, the shakes, but was fine after that, just the standard rigmarole of a cold or flu."

It's the second time Smout, who is double vaccinated, has had COVID.

"I was meant to play a VFL game with GWS about eight weeks ago, but I copped it during the week and missed that one as well," he added.

Meanwhile, Baker wasn't as fortunate as his team-mate with his COVID battle.

"I was actually really, really crook for the first couple of days, I wasn't really expecting that, but I had a really sore body and hot and cold flushes," he revealed.

"Now I've just got a cough that won't go away, but it's 10 times better than what it was."

Wangaratta has never been more vulnerable after a third of its gun side was forced out with injury.

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Wodonga would have been quietly confident of an upset with a full strength team, but the absence of the pair robbed the Bulldogs of two classy players.

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