The AFL Players Association has leapt to its feet over the state of the playing surface at Ethiad saying that, well, players can’t keep their feet.

Long bemoaned, this year the surface at the Dockland’s stadium seems to be as unstable as the North Korean government. The biggest concern though is the players are being ignored. There is a major disconnect between what players are experiencing and what the AFL are claiming as acceptable. To address this incongruity, the call is for a new set of criteria to be used that more accurately reflects the satisfaction of players.

The AFL and stadium honchos are falling back on the reasonably hollow ‘choice of footwear’ argument, but its not as if players are in six-inch stilettos and the sheer number of individuals slipping and sliding means this argument has as much chance of standing up to interrogation as Shaun Higgins has of standing upright on the Ethiad turf.

Undermining their ‘everything is fine’ argument a little, the AFL are also trying to use their weighty influence to ensure that in the lead up to the season there are no concerts or dance parties held at the stadium. That’s a start – anything that reduces the amount that the surface looks like a patchwork quilt can only be a good thing

The ground is up for another heavy weekend of ball-chasing action. While Friday night see Essendon try to wring some positives out of their season against St Kilda, the Bledisloe cup rolls into town on Saturday night. The Rugby boys are thumbing their noses at the talk of the surface, claiming they will play anywhere. The sound bite of the week goes to Wallabies coach Robbie Deans who stated, “We’d play on asphalt if we had to”. Sure there is a little cross-code bravado here but it is more likely need rather than cajones driving the bravado . The Rugby showpiece in the south has sold 50,000 tickets and the MCG’s dance card is already full. It’s Ethiad or bust.

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