Magazine - No Grounds for Complaint over Gabba Surface

By Editor in A.F.L on 20th May 2010 6:00

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has gone in to bat for the Gabba, saying its surface was not responsible for groin injuries to key forwards Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola.

Brown and Fevola are in Adelaide for the week leading up to Sunday's away game against the Crows, getting treatment from a specialist for their injuries. Rival coaches Mick Malthouse, of Collingwood, and Rodney Eade, of the Western Bulldogs, heaped extra pressure yesterday on the AFL and Stadiums Queensland to take measures to soften the Gabba field.

Voss said he agreed with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou, who said yesterday there was no evidence the Gabba surface was too hard and described complaints as "complete baloney". "I agree with Andrew. There are a number of reasons you get injuries, there's never one reason," Voss said.

Malthouse urged the AFL to focus more on ground hardness at the Gabba and Etihad Stadium than interchange rotations to help curb injuries. "Go to Michael Voss and find out how many injuries he's had with his group," Malthouse said.

Rodney Eade, of the Western Bulldogs said he would "hate to be Brisbane and playing at the Gabba all the time".

Voss said: "I appreciate their empathy. If they need to communicate any concerns, they always have our ears as a football club. "We are here permanently and think it's a fantastic ground to play, as opposed to other teams who play one-offs, and it's a different surface to some others because a cricket pitch is unique in the industry.

The AFL says recent testing of the Gabba shows it is at the high end of an acceptable range in terms of hardness. "We test every surface, we test other things to do with surfaces, particularly sliding and traction - the AFL would never ever put players at risk," Demetriou said.

Source & More: www.couriermail.com.au

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