Craig Starcevich says Gabba surface after Adele concerts is better than Etihad Stadium’s when first opened
BRISBANE AFLW coach Craig Starcevich has whacked Etihad Stadium, declaring the Gabba surface after the Adele concerts is superior to the surface at Docklands when it first opened.
BRISBANE Lions women’s coach Craig Starcevich says the Gabba turf war has not made a dent in the energy and spirit of his AFLW Grand Final team.
While Stadiums Queensland, the AFL and the Lions continued to thrash out the final hosting details of the decider on Friday, Starcevich said it was business as usual for his unbeaten squad.
The Lions take on Carlton in the final home-and-away game in Melbourne on Sunday and Starcevich said keeping his side focused amid the spirited debate about the Gabba had not been a problem.
TURF WAR: AFL, CRICKET BATTLE AFTER ADELE CONCERTS DAMAGE PITCH
HOSTING RIGHTS: LIONS SETS TO WIN GABBA BATTLE
“We put that to bed pretty early in the week,’’ he said “They were super on Wednesday night with their focus. Our five leaders have been very strong on, ‘no, we want to knock over every game as it presents’.
“That’s super news as far as our coaching group goes, to know those five strong leaders are hellbent on making sure every game is a successful outcome.’’
Starcevich said the current Gabba surface was vastly superior to Etihad Stadium when it first opened.
The inaugural AFLW decider looks set to be played at the Gabba with the undefeated Brisbane side earning hosting rights last week with their sixth win from six outings.
Starcevich, who was Brisbane’s high performance boss during the club’s hat-trick of flags from 2001-03, said the Gabba was in better shape than Etihad Stadium when it first opened in March 2000.
“I’m not (Gabba curator) Kev (Mitchell) or a turf expert (but) I’ll tell you what, some of the ones we used to play on at a stadium in Melbourne back 15 years ago, it’s well, well ahead of that,’’ he said.
“As long as it (the AFLW grand final) is in Queensland from, a playing and coaching perspective, we just want it in our home state.
“Plans are obviously well, well ahead to play it here. The club is fully behind it, it’s getting closer and closer. Hopefully we won’t be disappointed.
“It would be great for our team, it would be great for the broader AFL female playing contingent in Brisbane and Queensland, something for the young kids to aspire to.’’
Starcevich was reluctant to get into a slanging match with Mitchell, who asked for the Gabba to be footy-free for six weeks after the recent Adele concerts, and declined to weigh in on the issue of drop-in wickets at the ground.
“I love cricket. I’m very keen to see what Glenn Maxwell does this afternoon,’’ he laughed.
“I worked here 10-15 years ago and had some good fun with Kev around those times. We used to measure the hardness of the ground and all those sorts of things and give him the results.
“So I always had a really good relationship (with him).
“He doesn’t get too many chances to fix something up after it’s been damaged. He’s got a fair point but we are all doing a lot of things here.’’
Originally published as Craig Starcevich says Gabba surface after Adele concerts is better than Etihad Stadium’s when first opened
’Better prepared’: Roos brace for heat test
A North Melbourne star has revealed why her side is confident it can handle unusual conditions in Saturday’s preliminary final.
AFLW scraps controversial move
Several coaches were adamant their AFLW campaigns were derailed by a controversial fixture move which has been scrapped for 2025.
Power to ‘throw the kitchen sink’ at Roos juggernaut
Emma Kearney is set to return on Saturday to make North Melbourne an even scarier prospect for Port Adelaide, but the Power won’t be taking a backward step.