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ANZ Stadium’s suitability as an AFL venue is again under question after several Sydney players found metal pegs on the field during Saturday night’s game against Collingwood.
The footballers picked up the stakes, which were not confined to one area, and handed them to runners and trainers during the first quarter.
Swans general manager of football Dean Moore says the club relayed their concerns to the AFL.
“Our players found several metal pegs on the playing surface. The AFL was advised at the time, and at the quarter time interval ground staff conducted a sweep of the playing surface,” Moore said.
“The AFL has advised us they will take the matter up with ANZ stadium to ensure procedures are in place to prevent a recurrence.”
The official match report noted the stray pieces of metal and the AFL will review the report on Monday morning.
ANZ Stadium officials released a statement on Sunday afternoon saying they were still investigating the incident.
“There are a number of pins used when attaching grow mats to the playing surface,” general manger of assets and technical services Simon Davies said.
“All pins are removed prior to any field activity and stringent procedures are undertaken in the lead-up to any event to ensure the entire playing surface is free of objects and ready for play.
“If it is the case that one or two pins have remained in the turf despite these checks, we would be surprised and disappointed.
“If investigations show that this occurred, we will thoroughly review our procedures.”
ANZ Stadium’s playing surface has been a major issue of contention in the league for several years, most recently when Jude Bolton lodged a formal complaint about the ground after the Swans’ win over Essendon in round two.
Sydney co-captain Jarrad McVeigh suggested on Sunday the surface was in better shape compared to the Bombers’ clash but hinted at the team’s shock over there being dangerous objects on the field.
“It was OK out there, there were a few things we saw out on the ground that we weren’t too happy with but we’ll leave that to the other guys,” McVeigh said.
Magpies coach Mick Malthouse said his players had no complaints about the surface.
“Not at all. The surface looked pretty good to me,” Malthouse said.
Swans counterpart John Longmire agreed.
“I thought it was probably a bit better than what it was last time … they slipped a couple of times, but I think it was pretty good,” Longmire said.
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