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Allianz Arena officials acknowledged the swampy conditions on Friday night were unacceptable and are investigating the drainage system at the $828 million venue.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson called it “one of the worst pitches he’s ever played on” as 11.5 millimetres of water accumulated on the pitch 15 minutes before kick-off.
From the first few minutes of the match, players from the Eels and Roosters were soaking wet and large puddles of water soon appeared across the field.
The surface of the stadium, which was built two years ago Conditions were much worse than at Brookvale Oval on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, which also received heavy rain during Friday’s 6pm match.
“A severe storm hit the Allianz Stadium before kick-off on Friday night, causing drainage issues during the match, with 11.5mm of rain falling in 15 minutes.” New South Wales The spokesperson said.
“This is a brand new stadium and something like this shouldn’t be happening.”
We take this matter very seriously and have begun a thorough investigation to determine the cause and ensure the issue is corrected.
“The review will be completed by the end of this week and a further update will be provided.”
Allianz Arena officials admitted the pitch’s boggy surface was substandard on Friday night and are investigating the $828 million venue’s drainage system (workers hold pitchforks between games)
In contrast, the surface at Brookvale Oval on Sydney’s Northern Beaches held up well despite rain during the Sea Eagles’ game against the Warriors (Manly lock Jack Trbojevic pictured)
Grounds crews have two weeks to go before they arrive at Allianz Stadium for the next game – the NRLW-NRL double-header on September 1.
The venue will also host at least one NRL final next month.
The Allianz Stadium’s turf has a layer of gravel and sand underneath to help with drainage.
However, given the length of time it takes for water to soak into the grass, Friday night’s problems seemed to be only superficial.
The stadium’s initial turf was brought in from Windsor in 2022 after flooding in the area sparked concerns that silt levels could affect water flows.
But it is understood the Allianz Stadium turf was revived last summer after a series of off-season concerts at Moore Park Stadium.
The taxpayer-funded venue became a waterlogged disaster on Friday night and was heavily criticised by football fans for not having the basic drainage systems common in suburban sports parks.
Sydney A severe weather system hit the area overnight and lightning and flood warnings were issued.
The heavy rain also left the once luxurious Allianz Arena exposed, which the fans were not happy about.
The Roosters’ Spencer Laney scores after sliding through a giant pool of water at the Allianz Stadium on Friday
One viewer posted: “A brand new facility costing over $800 million should not be like this. The drainage system is non-existent.”
“Who transferred tonight? National Football League Are the Roosters and Eels games going to the Allianz Aquatic Centre? After spending so much money they forgot to install drainage,” added another.
“It needs to be completely dug up and a proper drainage system installed, the fact that the water is sitting there when it’s not raining means there’s something seriously wrong there and taxpayers are paying for it.”
The players slid in the mud throughout the game, which the Roosters won 38-14.
Clint Gutherson, the Parramatta’s skipper, was furious about the water conditions.
He said, “This is one of the worst pitches I’ve played on recently, especially now, the pitches are usually fast… and I didn’t expect it to rain so hard.”
“It was very tough to play there… We didn’t know it was that bad until we got there and found our feet completely submerged in water.”
This was no sour grapes from the losing side, with the Roosters’ James Tedesco equally shocked by the state of the playing surface.
“It’s pretty crazy,” he said.
“I mean, when we got here two hours before the game, the field looked great…and then it started pouring rain and the field was soaking wet.
“As the game went on, the surface got drier and drier, but in the middle of the court, the surface didn’t have a lot of bounce and was quite slippery.
“The conditions were very tough.”
Many footy fans pointed out that Four Pines Park, better known as Brookvale Oval, also saw heavy rain but thankfully the ground drained very well.
One fan said, “It rained just as much at Brookvale Oval…but the surface was flawless.”
@AllianzStadium @VenuesNSW Can you explain if this is mismanagement or a poorly installed drainage system? There is nothing wrong with Brookvale Oval and there is nothing wrong with my backyard.’
Fox Sports analyst Yvonne Sampson also slammed the Allianz for their poor playing surface.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson said it was “one of the worst pitches he’s ever played on”.
Roosters captain James Tedesco swept from the water by mud and water
‘This is [supposed to be] A state-of-the-art sports stadium…Brookville [Oval] It doesn’t look like that,” she said.
Fellow commentator and former Brisbane Broncos star Corey Parker agreed.
“It’s certainly not the condition you expect for a stadium like this after spending so much money on upgrades,” he said.
“I know it was raining really hard but it just looked horrible.
“Within 40 minutes, [rain] It didn’t disappear at all.’
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