The Dockers and the Bulldogs slipped and slided around the Etihad playing surface in an AFL clash last weekend. Photo / Getty Images
Melbourne's Etihad Stadium, where the All Blacks are to meet the Wallabies in a crucial Tri-Nations fixture this weekend, could be the focus of a AFL players boycott.
The concerns surround Etihad's playing surface, which has been labelled by some AFL players and coaches as "shambolic". Last weekend, commentators said
it resembled an "ice rink", as players lost their footing in all directions.
The AFL Players' Association warned it would demand the League look at moving matches if Etihad's playing surface did not improve this week, the Herald-Sun reported.
"We will be closely watching the performance of the Etihad surface over the weekend, and also consulting directly with our members - and if the situation hasn't improved we will be putting the prospect of relocating games back on the table," said AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis.
He said the Etihad surface resembled an "ice skating rink" in Friday night's draw between St Kilda and Hawthorn - and was the worst he had seen at the venue.
Most of the group's 32 club representatives told the players' union they would back a switch of matches to other grounds, the Herald-Sun reported.
St Kilda plays Essendon at Etihad on Friday night, while the Bulldogs play North Melbourne at the $460 million arena on Sunday.
The Tri-Nations test match is sandwiched in between the AFL matches.
The All Blacks have already been told they will have to find an alternative practice ground on Friday, the day before the test, because Etihad is unavailable.
- NZHERALD STAFF
