The SCG Trust tried the old magic trick: now you see it, now you don’t.
The trick was: watch us cater for every football code in the country, as well as cricket. Throw in a concert or two and perhaps a wrestling event.
No problem!
But there was a small problem – it is not possible to have one ground with natural turf to be used by four football codes two or three times per week and keep the tenants happy.
After just four weeks, this has been proven.
Rugby are whingeing that their scrums destroyed the ground and made it a cow pasture.
Kevin Muscat called the ground “unsafe”. How can a spherical football run smoothly when there are different parts of the ground with different turf?
The Roosters are reportedly looking at moving some of their NRL home games to the new stadium at Parramatta for the 2020 season.
Swans coach John Longmire tells us that as the ground is slippery and hard, and that it should be replaced with a drop-in.
Longmire’s idea is the best of the week but we have two problems.
Firstly, there is no space to grow a pitch – we are using it all to build the Michael Daley Memorial Palace next door. Secondly, there is no room to bring it into the ground.
I know! demolish the Ladies’ Stand. But it is heritage listed and some people like seeing historical relics.
What about one of those helicopters that they had in Vietnam? No good! Too noisy. Paddington will march in protest.
So as a result of all this hoo-ha, the only people who are happy are the cricketers, but the SCG Trust gets in turf experts to tell the world the surface is just fine. Play on!
I know that I may be accused of risking the lives and knees of our favourite sports people, but my attitude is suck it up.
For the next three to four years, we have to exist with three first-class venues.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Yeah but they're broke and need the money from AFL that actually draws crowds. So no sympathy for them either.
Glen
Guest
Pretty sure cricket was there first.
anon
Roar Pro
Soccer and the Rugby codes will be back to their own grounds in a couple of years. The SCG will be left with hosting 11 Swans games during winter. I can't really remember an injury stemming from the centre square. Sure this year, but they've allowed Rugby to chop up the turf. Normally the surface is fine.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Surely the soccer and rugby codes could have found rectangular stadiums elsewhere in the city. As Christo says, this is all about money, and no-one should feel the slightest sympathy for any of the organisations involved, except the Swans who were there first.
Chui
Guest
John Longmire can bugger off. No drop in for SCG thanks
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I only learned the other day that the SCG can't cater for a drop in pitch because there is no access to wheel it in (I guess previously I had never thought about the logistics of getting a drop in pitch into a stadium). For the time being, sounds like it will be well off into the future making the necessary infrastructure changes to enable a drop-in pitch. That appears to be the reality of it.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
This problem only exists because the SFS tenants (for reasons that I suspect have everything to do with money) have decided to play some of their home games at the totally unsuitable SCG. Solution until the ridiculously oversized SFS replacement gets finished: Waratahs play at BankWest Stadium Sydney FC play at Kogarah Oval Roosters play at either Kogarah or Leichhardt Swans continue playing at the SCG