LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Matty Johns and Denan Kemp voiced their concerns regarding the playing surface at CommBank Stadium during the recent NRL grand final rematch between the Panthers and Storm. Speaking on SEN radio, Johns noted that Nathan Cleary slipped multiple times, which is atypical given the type of studs on his boots.
"Not to bash up CommBank Stadium," Johns mentioned. "But this year, players have just been on skates there. And I saw Nathan sometimes battling away, and why I'm saying Nathan is for the very fact that when I watched the game I go, 'Oh mate, too many of these blokes… they're wearing moulded soles'."
He added, "But actually, Nathan wears the long screw-ins. So even blokes who were wearing the screw-ins were on skates around the place."
The condition of the surface at CommBank Stadium frequently deteriorates during wet weather. Although it rained in Sydney on Thursday, conditions cleared up before the game. Nevertheless, the turf showed significant wear, with chunks being torn out and muddy patches forming during play. This ongoing issue contributes to a larger $1.2 billion dilemma facing the NRL, particularly concerning the surface at Allianz Stadium, which has also faced scrutiny.
Allianz Stadium has suffered from surface water issues multiple times since its rebuilding for close to $830 million. The combined reconstruction costs for both stadiums approach $1.2 billion, with CommBank's rebuild costing $360 million. There is an active investigation into the issues with Allianz, and Venues NSW is expected to release findings soon. Venues NSW oversees both Allianz and CommBank, in addition to the SCG, where the surface there also came under fire recently.