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Compared to some of the pitches Massimo Luongo has played on in England’s third tier, Suncorp Stadium is practically a bowling green.
So you can understand why the Socceroos tyro is tired of hearing about how the playing surface might affect Thursday night’s Asian Cup quarter-final against China.
The Brisbane venue’s controversial deck as been lambasted left, right and centre throughout the Asian Cup, with China coach Alain Perrin arguably its strongest critic.
On Sunday, the pitch underwent emergency repairs with turf re-laid in both six-yard boxes ahead of the quarter-final, the last game scheduled at the stadium for the tournament.
But while Luongo says there is a noticeable bobble when the ball is passed his way, he’s not complaining too loudly.
“Obviously playing in League One you get much worse pitches,” the Swindon Town midfielder said.
“Ours is quite nice to be fair – but away games, especially now, with winter … it’s tough, especially the way we play, we keep the ball on the deck.
“We played Notts County last year and their pitch was rock hard.
“We played Doncaster two years ago and it was a sandpit. They called it a beach.”
Brisbane Roar skipper Matt McKay has seen Suncorp Stadium at its best – like when it was voted by the Professional Footballers Association as the A-League’s highest-quality surface for two years in a row – and at its absolute worst.
With the amount of chances the Socceroos created in Saturday night’s loss to South Korea, in his estimation it’s currently somewhere in the middle.
“For me its all about the stadium and the atmosphere,” McKay said.
“I’ve got no issues, everyone knows the hand we’ve been dealt.
“You have to take a few more touches on some occasions, but we still played some fluent one-touch stuff the other day.
“It’s not as successful sometimes, but our side’s got confidence and if we’ve got confidence nothing’s going to stop us.”
Another bumper crowd is expected for Thursday night’s clash, helped in no small part by the contingent of Chinese fans who added colour to Team Dragon’s two previous games in Brisbane.
McKay grew up in Eight Mile Plains, adjacent to Sunnybank, a suburb of Brisbane that is home to the majority of the city’s Chinese community.
“I know there’s plenty about, they’re very passionate and it’s great to see them support their team,” he said.
“That’s what the Asian Cup is all about, and I think the AFC’s been vindicated in having it in Australia because it’s been a massive event – above expectations for everyone, which is great.”
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