48 replies to this topic

[Bar]

Not sure if you guys know but theres been a lot of talk about how poor and dangerous the ground is. AFL players are slipping all over the place rolling ankles and pulling groins. The AFL have finally come out and said that it is a problem.

How will this affect Saturday night? I can see a crapload of collapsing scrums. The ground is a shambles basically.

Hopefully no injuries.

[dcjhanson]

Read somewhere that Ted is gonna get the boys wearing sprigs instead of blades. Plus we have been denied the Captains run due to an AFL game Friday night.

[Bar]

dcjhanson said:

Read somewhere that Ted is gonna get the boys wearing sprigs instead of blades. Plus we have been denied the Captains run due to an AFL game Friday night.

Springs wont do much because the actual surface moves underneath you. It has been happening with AFL players also where changing boots hasn't done diddly.

[Red Beard]

My initial thought is to scratch Carter from the matchday 22 and start Cruden for this assignment!

[Goffman]

Bit of worry alright, but I read an article today that claimed stats showed Etihad had an injury rate that is no worse than other major grounds. Not sure who compiled the stats though.

I don't like it when players change their footwear all of a sudden. I remember John Kirwin talking about his new stud pattern on his boots a game or two before he blew his achillies. I always wondered if the change contributed to his injury.

[shark]

Well there was an item about this on One News tonight. The reporter wasn't allowed to take a camera in there so smuggled in a phone and took some video of massive heat lamps trying to dry out the surface shaded by the stands. The footage they showed of Hawthorne vs St Kilda and players sliding around was pretty damning and apparently the AFL are planning to take action against Etihad management if any players sustain serious injuries due to the surface.

For years now there has been talk about injury stats in relation to this ground. I don't think there has ever been a pattern of injuries in rugby matches, but remember when I lived there that the AFL shows regularly raised the issue. The common theme back then was that the surface was harder due to the underground car park. Not sure how much dirt there is beneath the surface and above the car park and how much difference this would make, but it often took the blame.

[Antisonfire]

Quite funny - Melbourne Victory (a-league team) have been complaining about this for about 3 years. And the ground actually matters in football - it really, really doesn't matter much in AFL or rugby (it doesn't effect the quality of game played, anyway). I'm sure they will do something about it now AFL is complaining, though.

I've seen some shockers served up.

[Donsteppa]

No captains run and no chance to test the sprigs on the surface. Is this an international ground the Aussies are serving up, or is it the local club porridge bowl that gets closed for training after too much heavy rain...

[The NightMayor]

A debacle in the making...

[cricketman]

I must say when I first heard of this issue I was gutted!! I always look forward to the games in Aussie that little bit extra as the playing conditions that they normally serve up are perfect for running rugby. Really hope that the pitch doesn't mar what should be a classic Bledisloe encounter.

[Red Beard]

cricketman said:

I must say when I first heard of this issue I was gutted!! I always look forward to the games in Aussie that little bit extra as the playing conditions that they normally serve up are perfect for running rugby. Really hope that the pitch doesn't mar what should be a classic Bledisloe encounter.

Aussies..... can't trust em. First they play the Boks at their hoodoo gorund. Now they play us on ice in Melbourne.

[Emjayo]

Donsteppa said:

No captains run and no chance to test the sprigs on the surface. Is this an international ground the Aussies are serving up, or is it the local club porridge bowl that gets closed for training after too much heavy rain...

I love euphemisms for shitty grounds. This is up there with whoever talked about "the cowsheds of Carisbrook."

If Etihad truly is a porridge bowl, I hope to see some grounds keeper in his late 50's wearing gumboots and a woollen jumper wave the the teams off the field saying, "Righto, you lot, ground's closed, council's orders."

[barbarian]

Emjayo said:

I love euphemisms for shitty grounds. This is up there with whoever talked about "the cowsheds of Carisbrook."

If Etihad truly is a porridge bowl, I hope to see some grounds keeper in his late 50's wearing gumboots and a woollen jumper wave the the teams off the field saying, "Righto, you lot, ground's closed, council's orders."

And when they don't get off he just turns the lights off so nobody can see a thing.

[booboo]

Interesting it's at the TelstraEthihadDocklandStadiumDome rather than the MCG. Even last time in Melbourne with 20K unsold they got 79,000 to the G, about 20,000 more than Dockland's capacity.

[matata_massive]

booboo said:

Interesting it's at the TelstraEthihadDocklandStadiumDome rather than the MCG. Even last time in Melbourne with 20K unsold they got 79,000 to the G, about 20,000 more than Dockland's capacity.

went to that game that place is HUGE, 79000 people and it looked a lil empty haha...less said about the result the better being that i flew over just for that game too

[MadGav]

booboo said:

Interesting it's at the TelstraEthihadDocklandStadiumDome rather than the MCG. Even last time in Melbourne with 20K unsold they got 79,000 to the G, about 20,000 more than Dockland's capacity.

Etihad is much better than the MCG for viewing the game, but both are average compared to a proper rectangular ground, such as the new AAMI Park they've built for the Melbourne Victory and Storm just outside the CBD.

[ACT Crusader]

AAMI would have been perfect if it had greater capacity. 30K max only, but the Rebels will be playing there next year which is great.

Docklands fits just over 50K. I'm not sure if they bring in any temporary seasting at ground level, certainly don't recall it when I watched the ABs v Italy there back in 03.

As Shark noted the ground has had issues for years. The current management are in damage control. Just a week or so ago, an AFL player got injured there which brought the spotlight on it again. The stadium management said they had advice that the injury could have been worst if it wasn't for the "give" in the surface.

I don't think it will be a farce. I watched my Saints draw with the Hawks last week and there wasn't any greater slipping than normal games. Its not good but I don't think it will overshadow the game.

Saints play the Bombers on Friday night there, so will be watching that.

[papamoan]

cant be any worse than the paddock served up in Hong Kong two years ago. Whats the weather looking like in the lead up and game day you locals?

[Crucial]

Goffman said:

Bit of worry alright, but I read an article today that claimed stats showed Etihad had an injury rate that is no worse than other major grounds. Not sure who compiled the stats though.

I don't like it when players change their footwear all of a sudden. I remember John Kirwin talking about his new stud pattern on his boots a game or two before he blew his achillies. I always wondered if the change contributed to his injury.

Very little difference with the new adidas boots. The sprigs are almost identical to 'blades' except are a touch longer and have metal caps. There are shaped like blades.

[shark]

booboo said:

Interesting it's at the TelstraEthihadDocklandStadiumColonialDome rather than the MCG. Even last time in Melbourne with 20K unsold they got 79,000 to the G, about 20,000 more than Dockland's capacity.

That's better.

[Allstar]

so the question is, why is the Friday AFL game not being played at the MCG?

The soil depth in Docklands is something ridiculous like 1.5m or something. (number pull out of my a__)

[Emjayo]

I wanna know why they haven't staged a Bledisloe in Perth yet.

[papamoan]

Emjayo said:

I wanna know why they haven't staged a Bledisloe in Perth yet.

too many kiwis there would concede home advantage, bit like some of the warriors games in sydney where half or more of the crowd is in black

[MadGav]

papamoan said:

cant be any worse than the paddock served up in Hong Kong two years ago. Whats the weather looking like in the lead up and game day you locals?

Weather's fairly average, but they will have the roof closed for the game anyway...

[red terror]

There's no chance the game will be cancelled/postponed, but saw the rumour of that possibility in some Oz media.

Got me thinking... has an AB test or match ever been cancelled or postponed on account of the weather or field conditions?

(Closest I can think was the test v. Scotland at the Eden Park swimming pool in '75; and the tour match against Llanelli in '89 played in 100km winds; before those there was talk about cancelling or re-scheduling, but you knew that was never going to happen.)

[MadGav]

Allstar said:

so the question is, why is the Friday AFL game not being played at the MCG?

The soil depth in Docklands is something ridiculous like 1.5m or something. (number pull out of my a__)

Because it's AFL, and this is Melbourne....

[Emjayo]

papamoan said:

too many kiwis there would concede home advantage, bit like some of the warriors games in sydney where half or more of the crowd is in black

There is no way in hell this is the real reason.

[red terror]

re: Perth, I always thought the time zone and expat population favoured that city as the SA fixture. (Possibly a myth?) A night test in Perth is pretty late for Kiwi audiences, yes? Maybe they should play an AB afternoon test there.

[cd_wilson]

red terror said:

re: Perth, I always thought the time zone and expat population favoured that city as the SA fixture. (Possibly a myth?) A night test in Perth is pretty late for Kiwi audiences, yes? Maybe they should play an AB afternoon test there.

Huge number of SA expats down Fremantle way - ditto the English.

It's two hours difference to Sydney, so four to NZ ... it is more favourable for SA viewers being early afternoon ...

[k1w1]

Was at the AFL game last night and the ground looked ok underfoot. The centre square looked slippery, and the bounce of the ball was not consistent in the latter part of the game. Heard some bloke that was playing last night on the radio today, and he said it was still slippery, especially in the goal square, but nowhere as bad as last week.
Went to the game because I was always told AFL was meant to be seen live and I would be thrilled by it. Safe to say that will be the last game I will be going to. Atmosphere was brilliant, fans awesome with so many wearing their club colours, many groups together going for opposite teams. Presentation by the AFL for a club game had me a bit stunned when compared to league club and S14. No problems anywhere in the crowd that I saw, just that everytime someone tackled, the was a penalty. The term "netball for men" certainly describes what I saw.