Collingwood star Steele Sidebottom and teammate Lynden Dunn are under investigation for breaches of the AFL’s coronavirus protocols.

The Magpies have confirmed the experienced pair shared an Uber on Saturday evening and Sidebottom later visited a member of the club’s staff who is not living under the game’s protocols.

“The breaches were reported to the AFL on Sunday afternoon,” Collingwood said in a statement released on Tuesday evening.

“The players were interviewed by the AFL yesterday (Monday).

“Sidebottom and Dunn will not be permitted to return to the Holden Centre until cleared to do so by COVID-19 testing.”

All-Australian midfielder Sidebottom has played in each of Collingwood’s four games this season but now faces a possible suspension.

If he is banned, it would be a massive blow for the Magpies ahead of their clash with Essendon at the MCG on Friday night.

Dunn, who has struggled with knee injuries, has not played at senior level since 2018.

The pair reportedly spent part of Saturday night drinking with teammate Jeremy Howe, who sustained a serious knee injury during the previous night’s loss to Greater Western Sydney.

Sidebottom then reportedly visited former teammate Daniel Wells, who works for the Magpies but is not part of the club’s approved staff list.

The Magpies’ breaches follow Essendon’s Conor McKenna being hit with a one-match ban for failing to adhere to protocols earlier in June.

The Bombers’ Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, Melbourne’s Charlie Spargo and Kysaiah Pickett, and Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines have also been suspended for breaches since the protocols were put in place.