AFL 2022: St Kilda coach Brett Ratten warns against AFL grounds hosting other sports in season

Two soccer matches plus lots of rain in Perth created a worrying playing surface for Sunday’s AFL clash.

Brett Ratten was concerned with the state of Optus Stadium . (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has warned against AFL venues overscheduling sporting events during winter declaring the surface at Optus Stadium was “shifting under foot” on Sunday.

The Saints 28-point win over West Coast was played in substandard conditions at the venue which was hosting it’s third event in as many days after Perth was hit by a huge downpour on Saturday night.

Before the Sunday AFL clash, the venue had English Premier League pre-season games played between Manchester United and Aston Villa on Saturday night and Leeds and Crystal Palace on Friday night.

More than 50mm of rain also fell in and around Perth between Thursday and Sunday afternoon.

No injuries came out of Sunday’s game that could be blamed on the surface. However, players slipped on the surface throughout the game and the Saints last three goals of the game came courtesy of Eagles players losing their footing.

Ground staff attempt to dry the water logged pitch at Optus Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)

There is more forecast on Tuesday and then on Thursday and Friday ahead of the crucial AFL clash between Fremantle and Melbourne that will kick off Round 20 on Friday night.

Ratten said he’d hate to see any more playing careers ended because of a shifting surface.

“I wouldn’t like a player to get a long-term injury that affected them to never play the game again, or something like that,” he said.

“That is the worrying concern. If something did happen, would a player sue the ground?

“It has happened before. It happened in my time as a player; Luke O’Sullivan sued.

“So that is something they may need to consider when scheduling.

“It is a risk. The game is a risk anyway, but you’d hate to see something happen because of the surface. “

The Saints run out on to a wet Optus Stadium (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Ratten said he knew as soon as he walked on the Optus Stadium surface before the game that it was going to be difficult to play on, regardless of how good it looked.

“We knew straight away,” he said.

“We all went out before the game to have a look at it. It felt shifting underfoot.

“It was more of a mindset as a player and how you go about things.

“They have to take that into consideration because of the ground.”

Conditions weren’t great at Optus Stadium. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

O’Sullivan, Ratten’s Carlton teammate, settled out of court in 2000 with the Blues and the AFL over a knee injury sustained at Waverley Park.

He missed the entire 1993 AFL season due to a knee injury, sustained when some turf gave way underfoot.

Former Adelaide ruckman Shaun Rehn also sued the AFL, SANFL and the Adelaide Crows over a knee injury sustained in a 1999 pre-season match, when he slipped on a rubber disc installed in the middle of the ground, when contesting a ruck knock.