REPORT: Officials initiate investigation into Allianz Stadium following ‘diabolical’ $830 million charade for NRL.
Venues NSW has initiated an investigation following the farcical circumstances at Allianz Stadium on Friday night during the NRL match between the Sydney Roosters and the Parramatta Eels.
Sydney was pounded with a severe downpour around 15 minutes before kickoff, and the rain made the field highly wet throughout the contest. However, given that the arena is brand new and cost $828 million to create, many expected significantly better drainage.
The much older Brookvale Oval withstood the storm rather better, as the water drained off the field quite rapidly.
But it was a completely different story at Allianz, with the water sitting on the surface for the whole game and creating very tricky conditions for the players. Allianz Stadium officials have conceded the swamp-like surface wasn’t up to standard, and Venues NSW has now opened an investigation
“Prior to kick off on Friday night, Allianz Stadium received 11.5mm of rain in 15 minutes as a severe storm hit the area resulting in a drainage issue during play,” a spokeswoman for Venues NSW told the ABC. “This is a brand-new stadium, and this should not have happened. “We take this seriously and have already launched a thorough investigation to determine the root cause and resolve the issue. The review will be finished by the end of this week, and additional information will be released.”
There’s a fortnight for ground staff to sort out the surface until the next fixtures at Allianz Stadium – an NRLW-NRL double-header on September 1. But the ground will also host at least one finals game in three weeks’ time.
Allianz was built with a gravel and sand layer beneath the turf to assist with drainage, but Friday night’s issues appeared to be at surface level. The turf that was initially used at the stadium in 2022 came from Windsor after flooding in the region, which sparked concerns over silt levels and whether it would impact water flow. But according to AAP, the turf has been relayed since then after a series of off-season concerts at the venue.
NRL players and fans blast the Allianz Stadium surface
On Friday night, Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson said the field was one of the worst he’d ever played on. “Especially with the fields these days as they’re normally pretty (to drain) quick and I didn’t think it rained that much,” says Gutherson.
“It was difficult to play in, but there is no excuse for allowing some of those tries in. We didn’t realize it was so bad until we went out there and your feet were completely submerged. I’m not sure what they can do about that; probably not much.
Roosters counterpart James Tedesco added, “It was very insane. When we arrived two hours before the game, the field was in excellent condition, but suddenly there was a downpour and everything was completely wet. “It grew drier as the game progressed, but in the middle (of the field), there wasn’t much bounce and it was fairly slippery. It was challenging, but also enjoyable.
In Fox League commentary, Corey Parker stated, “It’s certainly not the conditions that you would expect at a stadium like that after so much money has been spent.” I understand there was a considerable amount of rain, but it looks horrible. That is still there after 40 minutes.”
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