The hardness of the Optus Stadium turf has again been thrown into the spotlight following the heartbreaking ankle injury suffered by West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui.
Naitanui is in danger of missing the rest of the AFL season after suffering a syndesmosis injury to his right ankle in last week’s one-point loss to Collingwood.
West Coast premiership defender Liam Duggan also suffered a syndesmosis injury at the same venue a week earlier, ruling him out for up to six weeks.
Naitanui’s injury could be more serious, with the club still awaiting the results of scans.
A serious syndesmosis injury could rule him out for up to four months, but he could return in time for finals if it’s on the minor end.
Fremantle and West Coast have been plagued by foot and ankle injuries since the opening of the $1.6 billion stadium before the 2018 season.
Star Dockers forwards Matt Taberner and Rory Lobb have suffered foot stress fractures this season, while defender Alex Pearce fractured an ankle.
Eagles defender Tom Barrass and forward Willie Rioli have missed big chunks this year with stress reactions in their feet, while Elliot Yeo and Jamie Cripps battled foot issues over the summer.
Even though some of the injuries haven’t occurred at the stadium itself, the clubs believe that the harder surface there may have left the players prone to these types of injuries down the track.
Both West Coast and Fremantle have stopped training at Optus Stadium at various points this year, with the clubs working with venue management to address the turf issue.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson acknowledges that things are heading in the right direction, but he’s well aware it’s still an issue.
“We’ve had this dance before,” Simpson told channel 7 when asked about the turf.
“We lost Liam Duggan last week to a syndesmosis. We’ve had a bit of a spike in the last 12 months.
“VenuesLive are working really hard. We’re working hard with the curator to try to get this right. But unfortunately we’ve lost another player, and we’ve got to move on.”
Simpson said Naitanui’s injury was disappointing for the “whole football world”.
“We saw glimpses of what Nic could produce,” Simpson said.
“He got injured in the first three or four minutes of the game, and he carried that all night. He fought on really well.”
Naitanui’s absence will heap huge pressure on Tom Hickey, starting with Sunday’s clash with Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn in Alice Springs.
Jim the Geo
Roar Rookie
I bleed blue and gold, so I'm gutted at the recent spate of injuries that seem to be related to the turf at Optus Stadium. But that's not why I am here. I'm no doctor, so I had to look up 'syndesmosis'. It describes a joint, not an injury. Can someone tell me what Nic Nat and Liam Duggan have actually done to their 'syndesmoses' (I'm guessing the plural!) Thanks all!
RT
Roar Rookie
Really?
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
They said the same about the Pies holden centre with all our hamstring injuries...perhaps its just luck at the end of the day.
Klompy
Guest
Do not bother coming Richie Tiger, your tigers have been belted once already by the mighty Eagles. There was no ice then and there is no ice now. Nice Try of a joke that has backfired.
RT
Roar Rookie
Let me know when Disney on Ice comes to town and I will be sure to cross the Nullabor.
Klompy
Guest
What is really going on with the Optus Surface.? Rugby say the surface is good and happy to play the Bledisloe Cup at Optus in August. Then we still have the Eagles and Fremantle blaming the surface for the injuries to the Eagles and Fremantle players. If the surface is that bad then ban training for both teams until it is fix. I wonder if Optus Stadium is the only Problem. The Eagles have two training grounds and one of the training ground is the same surface as what Optus is. I wonder if there is a more of a problem with the Eagles new training ground than Optus Stadium? I wonder is we will really know the Truth or will we just keep hearing porkies from everyone. I think Optus is a fantastic stadium that should have a world class surface. I am an Eagles supporter and I am so disappointed about Nick Naitanui, Jamie Cripps and Liam Duggan injuries. Will we ever know the truth. Or just keep hearing lies and not the true story of Optus Stadium Surface?
Larrikin
Roar Rookie
State of the art lighting is exactly what its got and beats the hell out of the aging relic of the mcg
RT
Roar Rookie
But haven't you heard, it has state-of-the-art lighting?
WCE
Roar Rookie
in 2 weeks we've lost Duggan, Cripps and now Nic. Losing Nic is without doubt an AFL sporting tragedy . Fortunately our reserves have been playing good footy so filling the shoes of stars in Duggan and Cripps is possible , albeit without the experience but losing Nic again plus Vardy is still injured leaves a huge hole in the ruck to fill. Give Brooksby a shot or bring in McInnes what other option do we have?