As our next five games are @ Etihad, should we be worried re the playing surface?

From what I've read
* the ground had been heavily watered last weekend (Sat 5 - Sun 6 June)
* the top 5+ cm of turf was too soft, hence injuies like WB Higgins turning his ankle in the Sun game vs the Saints (last Sun)

I guess my question is ...
* is playing @ Etihad a matter of general fitness, OR skill level, OR wearing the correct boots, OR phases of the moon, OR ...

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"I will make trophies from their spines."

This is my view on the matter...



...but the footage from the weekend, esp with the Higgins injury, was not great.

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Long stops won't help you if the earth is shifting at 5 cms below the surface. I've heard rumours that the grass bed is only 30 cms deep, which sounds like something of an exaggeration, however it seems likely that it is fairly shallow given the reputed hardness of the pitch.

Just gotta grin and bear it. We seem to play it ok, but hopefully they don't decide to drown the grass again.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

move the games to Prinny on orders from the AFLPA

I've also heard that the reason grass won't grow too well there is because a) it doesn't get enough sunlight and b) there are no worms in the soil.

It is a genuine concern Illyria

Our run there is already going to be a challenge for our fitnes/rehab people, but the shifting surface isn't going to make things any easier.

Fingers, toes, etc... crossed, that we come out of this spell not only with a number of wins, but without too many major injuries and a squad that isn't unusually sore for this time of year

The surface at etihad worries me. I can see us getting a long term injury every week we play there which could cruel our season. Careful Juddy.

You forgot to mention Fev. We can't win without him either

B is pretty much due to A, which in turn is due to the unusual orientation of the ground (North-South) that was unavoidable given the site selected, as well as the structure. The north end only sees natural sunlight 8 weeks a year.

I may have done a little research on the topic.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

IMO It is a serious matter. But, I guess you really have to ask the players.

All players I have heard interviewed and asked to comment on the Dome is consistent: Great arena, but the surface is either too hard or too slippery and it does take a bit longer to recover after playing there.

We have $8M worth of high performance athletes on our books.
A group (of say 30) of them will be expected to withstand repeat efforts on a week to week basis on the Dome's surface; a pitch which has been and continues to be called a health hazard.

We have a lot to lose; especially as we see more of the ground in the 2nd half (or business end) of the 2010 season.

Remember our injury list in the 2009 finals? I wonder what caused that?
Mmmmm hate to say it, but I can see a repeat of that in 2010.
I hope I'm wrong and I hope others who have suggested the same are wrong too.
But the health of the list will determine how well any team goes in the H&A and Finals campaign.

The AFLPA must step in if it represents the well being of the players.
There must be a class action hanging over the Dome's officialdom if there is a risk to players and the AFL/ Dome management continue to sweep the ongoing health issue under the carpet.

Princes/ Visy Park sounds like a good idea. Beautiful Surface.
Can't fit many into the ground anymore, but isn't footy these days played for TV these days anyway?
Plenty of room at Princes Park for TV cameras and commentators.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

The Cats have quite a few injured, and I don't think they have played at etihad this year, so heaven help them when they do play there.

Yes good point, but it is important to remember that they know people that have played there. Could be a factor

They watched a few Etihad games on telly too.

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What a joke............

i know this guy in Narre Warren who has NO problems
growing grass indoors............!

got his number right HERE..........!


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

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I think there's a couple of different issues here;

1) General ground condition (ie hardness) I think is a matter of careful load management which the fitness guys will be well on top of. This is nothing new and we should be as confident as any team in the league that our guys will be managed appropriately by Cordy and co.

2) Then there is the variability of the footing underneath the surface, which cost Shaun Higgins. This we should be absolutely terrified of. Higgins has had issues with his ankles before, but the footage of the surface just getting ripped up like Flemington was pretty frightening stuff.

It could be that we are a little fortunate this week that we're playing on the Friday and not on the Sunday after a couple of games. I'm thinking the surface may have a chance to knit back together a little bit.... or could that be wishful thinking???

For those who think there is no problem to players from the Dome's surface go to the SEN website and read for yourself what Carrots has to say about the surface. And speaking of joints he says something like:

[quote]"Carrazzo says some players have to be managed carefully following a game at the ground, given the hardness of the surface.

"Probably the older guys have to take it a bit easier," Carrazzo said.

"Just because there's a concrete slab build right underneath the ground. You can feel it sometimes through your joints."[/quote]

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

You got the Gabba which is too hard
You got Etihad that is too soft

Maybe each game needs Tony Greig at the start of each game putting the key in the ground.