Etihad Stadium and Fremantle take a battering

Repair work at Etihad Stadium is likely to take several months after a section of roof caved in during the heavy storm that lashed Melbourne on Saturday.

The entertainment area at the southern end of the stadium was declared off limits after the roofing fell in, which forced the start of Saturday night’s AFL pre-season semi-final between St Kilda and Fremantle to be delayed by 20 minutes.

However the damage is not expected to disrupt any coming events, including next weekend’s pre-season final between the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda.

Saturday night’s game began at 7.30pm (AEDT) and spectators were locked out of the venue until just before the opening bounce, while the Saints and Dockers were warming up.

Police, firefighters and safety officers inspected public areas at the ground after the section of roofing caved in, which stadium management attribute to the weight on the roof from a build-up of ice from hailstones.

Etihad Stadium chief executive Ian Collins said the damage was confined to an external roof, and said the large retractable roof covering the playing area was not damaged.

Collins said the storm also brought down some structures inside the stadium and caused “substantial” flooding.

“The damage will necessitate a major clean-up and significant repair work which is likely to take several months,” he said.

“At this stage however, there is no suggestion that it will require any disruption to event scheduling.”

Spectators were confined to the ground tier of the stadium when they were permitted entry, as stadium management closed off the middle and upper tiers.

St Kilda overcame the late start and won by 70 points, but the crowd figure was a paltry 5421.

St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was thankful the game went ahead given the match served as preparation for the season proper, as the storms washed out Saturday’s practice game between Geelong and the Brisbane Lions at Princes Park.

“If it had have been cancelled it certainly would have been a significant hiccup, but one you’ve got to deal with,” Lyon said.

“Both teams, mentally, it (the delay) would have put them off a little bit.

“It was like a ghost town, I rang the wife and kids and said ‘Don’t come in, it’s off at Etihad’.”

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey made light of the storm, and joked it had an impact on his players.

“A lot’s happened today, hasn’t it? I think we’re still in that storm, looking in the headspace of some of our players.”