Turf war: Swans star responds to SCG surface grumbles
The Swans' finals hopes were dealt a massive blow when they suffered a nine-point home loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
It was a slippery evening for both teams, particularly down the Paddington End of the ground.
The surface quickly became a national talking point, with Dockers coach Justin Longmuir expressing concerns about the "unsafe" conditions awaiting his team this Sunday as the leagued booked in a turf consultant to take a look.
GWS captain Toby Greene revealed on the Ausmerican Aces podcast he wore metal studs during the round-eight derby at the venue because of the "shocking" conditions. Players who wear prohibited metal studs are at risk of a $40,000 fine.
The Swans have moved this week's SCG training session to nearby Tramway Oval to give the ground an opportunity to recover, while recent heavy rain in Sydney has complicated the challenge for ground staff.
Grundy has declared he has full faith in the club, SCG Trust and AFL to ensure conditions are "cherry ripe" for Sunday's date with the Dockers.
"We play on it, well not every week, but train on it most weeks and have been for the last six to eight weeks," he said on Wednesday.
"It's our home, so we're pretty used to it.
"Was it ideal? No, but I'm looking forward to playing there this week."
In one incident on Friday night, Bulldog Bailey Williams appeared to get his foot stuck in the turf during play.
🗣️ "It's getting to the point that's dangerous."- Dale Thomas on the SCG surface #AFLSwansDogs pic.twitter.com/gscFRcvDew
— 7AFL (@7AFL) June 27, 2025
But Grundy dismissed the various slip-ups.
"Looking back, there's little moments where people are slipping over and whatnot," the star said.
"But that's going to happen when it's dewy and Friday night footy.
"I thought the contest, generally ... was a real spectacle that I thought fans got to enjoy.
"And as a player, I certainly enjoy playing in that (sort of) game."
The Swans have dropped to 12th on the ladder, three wins and percentage adrift of the top eight, while Fremantle are among the AFL's form teams with six consecutive wins.
Set-shot accuracy continues to plague Sydney after kicking 4.10 from set shots to the Dogs' 8.5, which proved costly in a tight contest.
Grundy said his side needed to leave no stone unturned this year to keep their finals' dreams alive.
"There's a reality to where we sit right now and you've got to be frank about that," he said.
"Having said that, there's tremendous opportunity for us, and we've got a lot of belief in what our best football looks like.
"But it's about being ultra-consistent, and we're going to need to do that."
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