- The NRL match between Sydney Roosters and Parramatta was reduced to a farce
- Large puddles of water spread across the field and failed to drain.
- It comes after a suburban Sydney location drained perfectly after the deluge
The taxpayer-funded Allianz Stadium has come under fire for failing to include basic drainage found at suburban sports parks after the venue became a waterlogged mess on Friday night.
The Sydney Roosters’ victory over the Parramatta Eels turned into a farce from the first whistle, as players ran onto a pitch that looked more like a swimming pool than a football field.
Sydney was hit by a strong weather system overnight which included lightning and flood warnings.
And the deluge left the $828 million Allianz Stadium exposed as the new venue was unable to cope with the rain and failed to drain standing water from the playing surface.
Fans whose taxes had gone to pay for the venue were not impressed that a basic function was not up to par.
“A brand new facility that cost over $800 million shouldn’t end up like this. There was no drainage,” one viewer posted.
“Who moved tonight’s NRL game between the Roosters and Eels to the Allianz Aquatic Centre? All that money and they forgot to install a drainage system,” added another.
‘It needs to be completely dug up and proper drainage installed. The fact that the water has been there the whole game when it wasn’t raining means something is seriously wrong there. Taxpayers’ money paid for that space.
Roosters’ Spencer Leniu scores a try by sliding through a huge pool of water at Allianz
Players slipped and slid through the mud throughout the match and the Roosters eventually prevailed 38-14.
And Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson was furious at the state of the track which he described as one of the worst he had ever played on.
“It was one of the worst courses I’ve played in a long time, especially with today’s courses, which are usually pretty fast, and I didn’t think it would rain that much,” Gutherson said.
‘It was difficult to play, but there’s no excuse for letting some of those tries go in.
‘We didn’t know it was that bad until we got there and our feet were completely under water.
“I don’t know what they can do about it, probably not much.”
It wasn’t just a case of jealousy on the part of the losing side, as Roosters captain James Tedesco was also shocked by the state of the playing surface.
“It was pretty crazy,” he said.
‘I mean when we got here two hours before the game the pitch looked great and then it rained a bit and it was soaked.
‘It dried out as the game went on, but in the middle (of the field) there wasn’t much bounce and it was quite slippery.
“It was tough conditions, but it was fun too.”
Many football fans pointed out that Four Pines Park, better known as Brookvale Oval, suffered a deluge during the Manly versus Warriors match, but drained perfectly.
“Brookvale Oval had the same amount of rain and still had a spotless surface,” one fan said.
@AllianzStadium @VenuesNSW Can you please explain if this is due to poor management or poorly installed drainage? Brookvale Oval had no issues, neither did my back yard.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson said it was one of the worst pitches he had ever played on.
Roosters captain James Tedesco is tackled as mud and water fly from the surface.
Venues NSW has been contacted for comment.
Her thoughts were echoed by Fox Sports analyst Yvonne Sampson, who also criticised the Allianz playing surface at half-time.
“This is a state-of-the-art stadium… Brookvale didn’t look like that,” Sampson said.
Fellow commentator and former Brisbane Broncos star Corey Parker agreed.
“It’s certainly not the conditions you’d expect in a stadium like that after spending that much money,” Parker said.
‘I understand that it rained heavily, but it seems diabolical.
“In forty minutes that hasn’t gone away at all.”
