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Important SN update for Southland“What a disaster”: Cornes and King slam SCG surface disgrace
SEN • June 30th, 2025 10:57 am
David King and Kane Cornes have both slammed the SCG surface following Friday’s clash between the Swans and Bulldogs at the venue.
There was an obvious lack of stability underfoot on Friday night, with multiple players slipping over. Jonathan Brown also said the surface was ‘as bad as I’ve seen in years’ while commentating on Fox Footy.
While part of the blame could be put on the fact that both clubs were told their players couldn’t wear long stops, Cornes and King don’t think the kind of boots worn would have made a difference.
With Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir also confirming that the Dockers have reached out to the AFL with their concerns ahead of Sunday’s clash at the venue against the Swans, King and Cornes tried to wrap their head around the surface disaster on SEN Breakfast.
King: “What about the ground? What a disaster. What a balls up.”
Cornes: “So, we had this discussion on Crunch Time, and Derm (Dermott Brereton) was sort of saying, ‘Well, why don't the players wear different boots?’.
“I'm as hard as anyone on players wearing the wrong boots, but this wasn't a boot discussion, this was shifting turf underneath feet.
“Now, some players handled it a little bit better, (Lachie) Bramble was just skating on it, he didn't care, he could stand up, whereas everyone else was falling over.
“How does that happen?”
King: “You can't have two different surfaces on the same venue.
“You’ve got to wear certain boots in one area of the ground and certain boots in another area of the ground. What a disgrace.
“They’re going to have to do something and get that sorted this week. I mean, you have to do a safety check, don't you?”
Friday’s clash was the first event at the venue in 27 days, with the last match prior to that taking place between the Swans and Crows on May 31.
The SCG’s next event is Sunday’s Sydney v Fremantle clash at 1:10pm AEST.
