Venues NSW admits the farcical scenes in Friday night’s Roosters-Eels clash at the $828 million Allianz Stadium should never have happened and has vowed to find the source of the problem.
The NRL will be seeking answers from venue officials after a relatively minor downpour left much of the playing surface under water. There was still water lying on the playing surface more than two hours after the rain stopped.
“This is a brand new stadium, and it shouldn’t have happened,” a Venues NSW spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday. “We are taking this seriously and have already commenced a thorough investigation to identify the cause to ensure the issue is rectified. The review will be completed by the end of this week and further updates will be provided.”
Allianz copped 11.5 millimetres of rain in 15 minutes just prior to the Roosters’ 38-14 win over Parramatta. However, players, fans and commentators were left stunned that an $828 million stadium completed just two years ago was unable to drain the water, which remained on the surface for the entirety of the contest.
“A thorough investigation is now under way to understand the cause of the drainage issue to ensure it’s rectified for upcoming events,” the Venues NSW spokesperson said.
Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould said: “I haven’t seen a waterlogged ground like that in the NRL for a long time.”
Wet and wild: Spencer Leniu scores for the Roosters againt Parramatta on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
With finals matches to be played at the venue in less than a month, the NRL wants answers, too.
“Allianz Stadium has expert ground staff that do a great job week in and week out preparing a first-class pitch, but we will discuss the issue with them to understand what occurred and how it can be improved,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.
The issue comes as Allianz prepares to host a series of crucial games to close the season, including the Roosters’ clash against Canberra on September 1. It is also anticipated the venue will host several finals games.
“It was one of the worst fields I’ve played on for a while, especially with the grounds these days – they normally [drain] pretty quick, and I didn’t think it rained that much,” said Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson.
Joe Ofahengaue is tackled into the drenched Allianz surface.Credit: Getty Images
“It was hard to play in, but there’s no excuse for letting some of those tries in.
“We didn’t know it was that bad until we got out there and your feet were fully underwater.
“I don’t know what they can do about it, probably not much.”
Roosters skipper James Tedesco was also taken aback by the conditions.
‘It was one of the worst fields I’ve played on for a while ... and I didn’t think it rained that much.’
Clint Gutherson
“We got here two hours before the game and the field was looking great,” Tedesco said.
“We got a bit of a downpour there for a bit, we got out there and it was soaking wet.
“It sort of got drier as the game went on, but in the middle there wasn’t much bounce and it was very slippery.
“Ball handling was a bit of an issue in the start; we had some errors there in the middle of the ruck.
“It was pretty tough conditions, but it was fun as well.”
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