‘We're pretty used to it': Grundy dismisses SCG surface fears
The AFL's turf experts are overseeing this week's remediation efforts, focused on the Paddington End of the SCG, which has struggled to recover from the damage left by the stage for an Andrea Bocelli concert on April 3.
The surface became a national talking point after Friday night's match between Sydney and the Western Bulldogs, in which players continually lost their footing, prompting the extra scrutiny from the AFL and a broadside from Swans chairman Andrew Pridham, who said it was in an 'unacceptable' condition.
Players or officials from four different clubs have now expressed their concerns: the Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide, Greater Western Sydney and Fremantle, whose coach Justin Longmuir was at the Swans-Bulldogs game and later said the SCG appeared to be 'unsafe' for players.
Giants captain Toby Greene, meanwhile, said on the Ausmerican Aces podcast that he wore metal studs for the first half of the round eight Sydney derby at the SCG after noting the 'shocking' state of the turf at training the day before. Metal studs are prohibited by the AFL, with players who wear them at risk of a $40,000 fine.
Wild weather in Sydney this week has raised speculation the SCG could deteriorate even further this week, but Grundy said the topic was not front of mind for him.
'Look, it wasn't ideal,' Grundy said on Wednesday about the state of the SCG last week.
'But as a player, I'm not really thinking about that; I'm just thinking about the contest at hand. Probably looking back, there were little moments where people were slipping over and what not, but that's going to happen when it's dewey and Friday night footy. I thought the contest generally for the game was a real spectacle that I thought fans got to enjoy, and as a player, I certainly enjoyed playing in that game.
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