‘Diabolical’ Allianz Stadium under fire after Roosters vs. Eels

Sydney Roosters destroyed Parramatta Eels 38-14 on Friday, but all anyone is talking about is the ‘diabolical’ waterlogged pitch at the Allianz Stadium. Fans, commentators, and players alike have slated the playing conditions and NRL for allowing the match to happen on such a poor pitch.

$828m Allianz Stadium can’t cope with storm 

A beautiful day in Sydney turned ugly just an hour before Rooster's match against the Eels. Sydney lived up to their expectations. The betting sites favourites destroyed Parramatta 38-14. However, the pitch did not live up to the hype.  
 
Allianz Stadium, which was built just two years ago at a cost of $828m to NSW government taxpayers, could not handle the downpour. Water pooled on the field as the drainage system was overrun. The impacts of the flooded pitch became worse as the match went on, leading to truly bizarre scenes.  
 
The Bureau of Meteorology says 8.2mm of rain fell during the downpour. That’s an insignificant amount of rain, but it was alarming that such a new stadium like the Allianz Stadium could not handle it.  
 
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles vs. New Zealand Warriors match just a couple hours earlier was also affected by the rainstorm. However, the 4 Pines Park pitch coped well and there was little pooling.  

‘Diabolical’ conditions 

Fox League broadcasters could not believe what they were seeing on Friday night during the Roosters vs. Eels match. Multiple commentators savaged field conditions during the match.   
 
Melbourne Storm’s Cameron Munster said it looked more like an “aquatic centre” than a rugby pitch. 
 
When asked about how he would cope playing on a pitch like that, Munster said: “It would change a little bit. It’s a little bit wet, a little bit slippery, blokes are going to fall over. It looks like it’s pretty tough out there, blokes are slipping and sliding and it’s hard to hold the ball.” 
 
Former Bulldogs star Michael Ennis and Broncos legend Corey Parker were less kind with their comments about the pitch. 
 
“You need a snorkel (to play),” Ennis quipped. 
 
Parker called the conditions diabolic and was stunned at how poorly the pitch handled the downpour.  
 
“That is diabolical,” he said, “In 40 minutes it has not gone away whatsoever.” 

Gutherson calls out pitch conditions 

Criticism of the Allianz Stadium pitch did not stop after the match. Eels captain Clint Gutherson used his post-match press conference to reveal his honest thoughts about playing on such a poor pitch.  
 
“It was one of the worst fields I’ve played on for a while,” Gutherson said, “Especially with the fields these days as they’re normally pretty quick and I didn’t think it rained that much.” 
 
As upset as Gutherson was though, he did not want to use the ‘diabolical’ conditions as an excuse for his side.  
 
“It was hard to play in but there’s no excuse for letting some of those tries in,” he said.

Eels will be playing away next week. They will face off against Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Friday at 8:00 PM. Parramatta should have a better chance in Brisbane than they did in Sydney, but their sports betting odds still aren’t great. The Wooden Spoon contenders are major underdogs with all Australian sportsbooks.