16-05-2025
Chaos strikes SCG as turnstiles ‘froze up and completely broke' minutes before Sydney-Carlton clash
Queues of up to 200 metres were banked up outside the SCG as the turnstiles 'froze up and completely broke' ahead of Sydney's AFL clash with Carlton on Friday night.
Half an hour before the traditional Marn Grook match in Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round was due to begin, a malfunction in the system caused entry points at every gate in the stadium to freeze up.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Chaos as thousands of footy fans locked outside the SCG.
It made for some largely empty stands right up to and beyond the first bounce, as thousands of fans missed the start of the game.
'The SCG feels like it's only about half full right now, and that's because everyone that's here actually can't get in,' 7NEWS Melbourne's Xander McGuire said.
'From about 7.10pm tonight onwards, the turnstiles outside the ground actually froze up and completely broke.
'So, for about 20 minutes there, people that were trying to scan their tickets couldn't get in.
'I've spoke to security, they think that the lines got to about 200 metres long at every single gate outside.
'So, they've reverted back to the old days; they're doing manual ticket checks now.
'I was just outside and people are literally streaming in and security are only looking at the tickets with a passing glance, hoping that the tickets are completely legitimate.
'In the last probably five minutes or so, we've seen the crowd really thicken out. We'll see that over the first 10 minutes (of the game).
'But an incredible situation unfolding here at the SCG.'
