Carlton star Sam Docherty has put his concerns with the MCG surface on the record, admitting he was nervous to take to the home of footy on Thursday night.
Plenty has been made of the MCG turf, of which 10,000 square metres was replaced in the fortnight leading up to Round 1 after two Ed Sheeran concerts.
Chris Scott suggested the MCC kicked an “own goal” by compromising the ground so close to the season, while David King questioned the decision in the days leading up to the season opener.
But Docherty is the first player to voice his disappointment.
“Slippery,” Docherty responded on 3AW when asked how he found the turf.
“Having been a person who’s done a couple of ACLs, I was extremely nervous pre-game when I walked out there and saw the differences in the turf from the stuff that’s been there for a while and the newly laid stuff.
“I was surprised there weren’t any injuries in our game. Watching last night (Geelong vs Collingwood) was probably what I expected to happen.”
Geelong defenders Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning were both injured in innocuous, non-contact circumstances after appearing to slip on the surface.
Stewart seems likely to miss at least one match as a result of a medial ligament injury.
“It’s a fairly significant difference between the two turfs. I think with the newly laid stuff it was quite hard but did move a bit when you moved over, the grass spat up a bit,” Docherty continued.
“When you got onto the old MCG turf, I think because they put so much water trying to get the new grass to sit in, that was really soft.
“It definitely presented some level of risk in my eyes, the MCG obviously took that punt, they would have known what they were doing by taking the Ed Sheeran concert.”
An independent turf report on the MCG’s surface found no issues in the leadup to Round 1.
The MCC had denied there would be any issues with the ground, with chief executive Stuart Fox telling SEN’s Sportsday on Thursday that he was bemused by commentary on the ground’s surface.
Richmond and Carlton played out a draw to kick off the season, with Docherty gathering 25 disposals to be among his club’s best.
The MCG has hosted three games in the opening round and is also the venue for Hawthorn’s clash with Essendon.