The NRL will independently check the Bankwest Stadium playing surface before clearance is given for Parramatta to host Canberra there on Saturday night.
Just hours after Sydney Roosters players Victor Radley and Sam Verrills suffered season-ending knee injuries, the NRL booked in an inspection for Saturday morning.
Both Radley and Verrills went down untouched in Friday night’s 26-12 win over St George Illawarra, with suspected torn anterior cruciate ligaments.
There is no suggestion the turn was responsible for the blows, with coach Trent Robinson distancing his club from any such claims after the match.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
However, there is little doubt signs of wear and tear are showing at the ground.
Assuming all matches are played as scheduled, there will have been 11 games in 22 days come the end of Sunday night.
Another three are set to be played there next week.
It comes after the NRL moved a game from Campbelltown to Kogarah this week to allow for a fresh surface given a heavy workload at the former.
“If we have any concerns around the safety of the pitch then we’ll move the [Eels-Raiders] game,” NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo told Channel Nine on Friday night.
“You saw last week we made the move and we’ll assess that again tomorrow morning.”
“Player safety is a massive concern for us, and we never like seeing players injured.
“I know there was a lot spoken about it. The playing surface has had a lot of wear and tear.”
There should be less reliance on Bankwest, Campbelltown and Gosford from next weekend, with clubs returning to home grounds.
However, Bankwest will still remain an option for up to four clubs, given its capped capacity of 7500 is around three times that can enter suburban grounds.
Abdo said the overuse of grounds by the Project Apollo committee, and Bankwest had passed a safety and stability test before play on Friday.
Roosters team manager Chris James and another club official took a close look at the turf where Verrills went down.
Meanwhile, Bankwest Stadium management said they would work with the NRL, but were confident there would not be any issues.
“The stadium turf has been holding up well under a heavy playing schedule,” a Bankwest Stadium spokesman said.
“Signs of wear and tear are a result of the winter rye grass not getting sufficient time to grow between events, but extensive pre-game testing has indicated the surface is stable and safe.
“Any injuries to players are a concern.
“The stadium team will work with the NRL and clubs to ensure the best possible surface for each and every game.”
Davico
Roar Pro
Tigers should play at least their next couple of home games at Leichhardt Oval. Bankwest needs a rest and Parra are till going to be playing there, and Campbelltown looks like it needs no games for at least a month if not more to get back to a decent surface. As there can't be large crowds at games anyway, the lack of top level facilities will not matter so seems a no brainer.
Muzz
Guest
Currently no official complaint from the Roosters. I spoke to a mate who is a specialist grounds keeper. He reckons that the ground was top-dressed during the week. Not ideal for a game of footy which was scheduled 4/5 days later.
Herewegoagain
Guest
It did look as though putting the victa over it wouldn’t have done any harm though.
Albo
Roar Rookie
The Bankwest surface is showing some wear and tear, but the turf looks stable and much better than some surfaces that have been played on regularly in recent years. I suspect the two ACL injuries last night were just coincidental bad luck events.
Paul
Roar Guru
I wonder where this leaves Easts & the NRL if the independent review finds the turf was unsafe? Or are they just deciding whether the surface should have a rest for a few weeks?