Sydney's Allianz Stadium pitch concerns ahead of weekend NRL matches
Almost 200mm of rain have fallen in Sydney this month, with torrential downpours across the weekend forcing the Randwick race meet to be abandoned, while City2Surf runners had to contend with slippery surfaces in the east.
Wet weather has plagued the $828 million Allianz Stadium since it opened in 2022, with surface water and poor drainage leading to slippery surfaces and pools of water forming at a number of events over the past few years.
The surface has come under fire a number of times with a Roosters clash against the Eels in 2024 virtually played underwater, while there were huge puddles for women's Origin and a Super Rugby fixture.
Players had to contend with big puddles during a match between the Roosters and Eels at Allianz Stadium in 2024. Picture:Clint Gutherson was at the Eels last year and described it as 'one of the worst fields' following the match, while Roosters skipper James Tedesco lamented how slippery the surface was even if it hadn't been raining.
Sydney's awful weather is set to clear this week with the chance of the odd shower here and there, but nothing serious enough to cause problems ahead of men's matches involving the Roosters, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Eels, Wests Tigers and Sea Eagles, while the Wests Tigers face the Dragons in the NRLW.
Heat lamps were used on Monday at one of the problem ends of the ground, with staff confident the surface will handle the action.
'Following a wet weekend in Sydney with another 150mm of rain falling, the forecast leading up to Gadhu Gathering is looking positive,' a venue spokesperson confirmed to NewsWire.
'Allianz Stadium will have had a 19-day break between events, which has allowed the grounds team to perform the required work in preparation for five games of footy in three days.
'The field has been aerated, additional grass has been seeded and we've had the growing lights and blankets in place at every opportunity to ensure we're ready to go for an action-packed weekend.'
Concerns over the pitch have forced the Roosters to train elsewhere, with Tedesco not overly optimistic ahead of this weekend's fixtures.
Allianz Stadium ground staff have worked feverishly during games to fix the drainage.
'I'm glad we're playing the Friday game because I don't know how the other games will go,' he said at Allianz Stadium on Monday morning as the rain tumbled down.
'It's tough because we're meant to be training a lot of the time throughout the year, but most of the time we don't because the surface isn't good enough and there's so much traffic on there with rugby, soccer and so many games in general.
'I think they're doing something in the off-season to get the pitch better, but I feel like the surface in general hasn't been beneficial for us.
'I'd love it to be re-turfed and be ready to go for us next year. I'd love a dry track because every time we play here, I feel like it's slippery and it's wet and it's tough conditions.'
The Moore Park precinct has some of the best facilities in the country, but the only thing that really matters for the players is how the turf holds up.
This year's women's Origin match at Allianz Stadium was marred by pools of surface water. Picture:'This is an elite stadium for lots of sporting teams and I feel that the grass is the most important thing,' Tedesco said.
'So if we can get that sorted and have a dry track (then I'll be happy). I'm not a greenkeeper so it's probably a hard job for the boys to get right, especially with weather conditions like this.
'Maybe a roof would help keep it dry. It'd be like Vegas – how good was that track!'
A roof was floated at some point but was eventually dismissed due to costs, with players urging the government to fix the pitch over summer.
Roosters prop Lindsay Collins also backed calls for a roof but said players had to cop whatever conditions they're given.
'There's something wrong with this field, it's not crash hot,' Collins said.
'We've just got to deal with it. You can only control the controllables, and this is something I can't control.
'We were saying they should have put a roof on it, which I think was the original plan. With the money they're going to invest to rip it all up, they probably could have put a roof on.'
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