Venues NSW admits the farcical scenes in Friday night’s Roosters-Eels clash at the $828 million Allianz Stadium should never have happened and has vowed to find the source of the problem.
The NRL will be seeking answers from venue officials after a relatively minor downpour left much of the playing surface under water. There was still water lying on the playing surface more than two hours after the rain stopped.
“This is a brand new stadium, and it shouldn’t have happened,” a Venues NSW spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday. “We are taking this seriously and have already commenced a thorough investigation to identify the cause to ensure the issue is rectified. The review will be completed by the end of this week and further updates will be provided.”
Allianz copped 11.5 millimetres of rain in 15 minutes just prior to the Roosters’ 38-14 win over Parramatta. However, players, fans and commentators were left stunned that an $828 million stadium completed just two years ago was unable to drain the water, which remained on the surface for the entirety of the contest.
“A thorough investigation is now under way to understand the cause of the drainage issue to ensure it’s rectified for upcoming events,” the Venues NSW spokesperson said.
Channel Nine commentator Phil Gould said: “I haven’t seen a waterlogged ground like that in the NRL for a long time.”
Wet and wild: Spencer Leniu scores for the Roosters againt Parramatta on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
With finals matches to be played at the venue in less than a month, the NRL wants answers, too.
“Allianz Stadium has expert ground staff that do a great job week in and week out preparing a first-class pitch, but we will discuss the issue with them to understand what occurred and how it can be improved,” NRL head of football Graham Annesley said.