‘A little bit disappointing’: Geelong’s Mitch Duncan has his say on condition of GMHBA Stadium

Geelong veteran Mitch Duncan hasn’t held back in his assessment of the condition of GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night. HAVE YOUR SAY.

Mitch Duncan in action on Saturday night against the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images.

Geelong veteran Mitch Duncan says the state of GMHBA Stadium’s surface during Saturday night’s loss to Western Bulldogs was the worst he’d played on in his 290-game AFL career.

Duncan believed the sodden ground, which was described by some as like running out on a paddock, was not at AFL standard and did in fact hurt the spectacle of an AFL game.

He said he was unsure what training would look like this week but posed the possibility of moving it to Deakin.

“It’s probably the worst I’ve ever played on in an AFL game, which I think is a little bit disappointing but we won’t delve into it too much,” Duncan said.

“I’m sure they’ll be busy in the next couple weeks to try and get it back ready to go for the Adelaide game.”

Duncan was unsure whether wear from training had any impact on the ground, adding they tended to spread out on all parts of the ground during the week.

“It has been a bit wet, maybe it didn’t dry out as well, maybe the sun position and everything, it’s over my pay grade,” he said.

“Hopefully we can just get it back nice and at AFL standard I think … but I don’t think it was at AFL standard.”

Punters and players alike said the surface was unusually muddy.

Bulldogs midfielder Ed Richards, speaking to former Cats captain Cameron Ling post-game, said he “wouldn’t have thought an AFL ground would be like this”.

“It happens, I guess,” Richards said.

“I was talking to Tommy Stewart in the middle of the game and I was like ‘you’ve gotta give this ground a bit of a breather, it looks like it’s been thrashed’.”

A dejected cats outfit leave a muddy Kardinia Park on Saturday night. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The condition of the ground was made worse by the fact the Cats and Bulldogs VFL teams fought out a draw ahead of the prime time clash that was broadcast on free-to-air TV.

Gerard Griffin, chief executive of Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, which manages the facility, said the Trust was working to restore the condition of part of the playing surface at the stadium, which had been impacted by recent weather conditions.

One fan in attendance said the conditions reminded her of the “famous footy mudbaths of the 1970s”.

“IT was a dirty day for the Cats on the field and for whoever was doing the club laundry

afterwards,” she said.

“The Magpies and Hawks, who played at the MCG in driving rain looked pristine in

comparison to the muddy Cats.

“Surely with all the cash spent on upgrading GMHBA Stadium, some funds have gone to

installing a 21st century drainage system?”

Earlier this season, the state government unveiled its $142m redevelopment, including the new Joel Selwood stand.

And in May, it was revealed Kardinia Park was one of the big winners of the state budget, receiving $4.1m for the replacement of the southern scoreboard, as well as facility maintenance and flood-mitigation works.

Ed Richards said after the game “wouldn’t have thought an AFL ground would be like this. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Over two decades, $340m of funding had been pumped into the stadium.

The Geelong Advertiser reported earlier this month that the Cats are on track to build a $60m training facility incorporating an events space next to GMHBA Stadium, making no apologies for the club’s vast ambition.

In December last year, a Big Bash League cricket game was forced to be abandoned due to the Kardinia Park pitch being “absolutely drenched”.

Originally published as ‘A little bit disappointing’: Geelong’s Mitch Duncan has his say on condition of GMHBA Stadium