Punt Road surface "crap" - Demetriou

[one-eyed]

Something in the papers tomorrow about the Punt Road Oval surface being in poor condition or words to that affect lol.

[Little Jackie]

just another deflection by Wallet I bet!

[cub]

Not chicken "crap" by any chance.

[one-eyed]

Here's the article in today's Age by Caro....

Tiger turf is 'crap', says Demetriou
Caroline Wilson | April 8, 2008

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has slammed Richmond's long-time training base at Punt Road as "crap", describing it as the worst playing surface in the AFL.

Demetriou said the AFL was prepared to intervene in a bid to allow Richmond to train once a week on the MCG for the rest of the season, adding that the Tigers' ground was also too small and several years away from any significant improvement.

"We need to try and help them find a better place to train," he said. "They have got a crap ground to train on. It's just a bad ground and it's the wrong size.

"You only need to walk on the playing surface to see what they're up against."

While the Tigers last week announced a new stage of the redevelopment of Punt Road oval, along with AFL and State Government funding, Demetriou said that the widening of the ground was several years from completion. "And they need to resurface the ground and that will take six to nine months at a time when they are going to have to train somewhere else," he said. "We need to find them somewhere adequate to train."

The Tigers, the worst-performed side in the AFL over the past quarter of a century, were resoundingly defeated by Collingwood two days ago and became the talking point at a "state of the game" media briefing at AFL headquarters yesterday.

While Melbourne's training-base problems and lack of a permanent home ground have been widely discussed recently and North Melbourne's sub-standard facilities at Arden Street are a problem for the competition, Demetriou said that Richmond's problems were significant.

"Arden Street's got different issues and we're working on those as well as part of the redevelopment," Demetriou said. "They are working in squalor but their training surface is good."

Demetriou said he expected the final eight to be substantially filled by Victorian teams and was optimistic that even poor-performing clubs, such as the Tigers, would peak eventually.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/tiger-turf-is-crap-says-demetriou/2008/04/07/1207420303943.html

[jezza]

just another deflection by Wallet I bet!

weak comment Jack.

[Little Jackie]

just another deflection by Wallet I bet!

weak comment Jack.

And why is that Jezza ?
If windy hill, or junction oval are MCG size.
The hawks train on a ground which is so cold and windy for most of winter.
The tiges can train at any of the private schools if they want, as Melbourne do, they choose not.

[Little Jackie]

The tiges should train in the car park of the G, practise kicking the ball at the trees, might improve there skills.

[jezza]

just another deflection by Wallet I bet!

weak comment Jack.

And why is that Jezza ?
If windy hill, or junction oval are MCG size.
The hawks train on a ground which is so cold and windy for most of winter.
The tiges can train at any of the private schools if they want, as Melbourne do, they choose not.

Why? Because it had nothing to do with wallet. A lot of the good points you make lose any impact because of the silly vindictive things you spread amongst them.

[{X}]

agree jezza, with ya on this one

[Little Jackie]

Mate, I  guarantee that he would of spoken to the AFL about this, and lets just see if he says anything today about it.
Dont hear boo from Dean Laidley about Norths terrrible ground and facilities.

[tigersalive]

Mate, I  guarantee that he would of spoken to the AFL about this, and lets just see if he says anything today about it.
Dont hear boo from Dean Laidley about Norths terrrible ground and facilities.

Jack, it's in the Age, he wont be able to avoid a question on it from one of the journos. 

Also did you read the article?  "They are working in squalor but their training surface is good."
Only one out of two.     

[one-eyed]

Stephen Gough said the MCG isn't a training ground so they won't allow anyone to train on it. "So sorry Tigers".

The Punt Road curator blames the Centre Square GF tents that were up for 3 weeks. After they lifted it up 80% of the grass was gone and it's never really recovered from it.

KB mocked the suggestion that the surface was to blame saying he use to train in mud and we won 5 flags on that small muddy ground.

[tigersalive]

Stephen Gough said the MCG isn't a training ground so they won't allow anyone to train on it. "So sorry Tigers".

The Punt Road curator blames the Centre Square GF tents that were up for 3 weeks. After they lifted it up 80% of the grass was gone and it's never really recovered from it.

KB mocked the suggestion that the surface was to blame saying he use to train in mud and we won 5 flags on that small muddy ground.

Good one KB but that was before skills mattered.

But still, it wouldnt have helped us much I dont reckon.

[WilliamPowell]

Crap = something the AFL know quite a bit about 

[one-eyed]

Grounds for complaint: Wallace
Luke Holmesby
richmondfc.com.au
 1:26 PM Tue 08 April, 2008

RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace has agreed with AFL boss Andrew Demetriou’s concerns with the state of Punt Road Oval.
Wallace was responding to comments from Demetriou that the facilities at Punt Road were ‘crap’.

“It’s been awkward. It’s been difficult. We’ve really been in a situation where we’ve been nomadic. I know there’s other clubs in the competition that have been that way. We’re not using that as an excuse. Clearly it’s something the club has to get right in the future,” Wallace said.

“Andrew’s been very supportive with relation to trying to help us. We’ve only had two sessions this year on this ground (Punt Rd). We’ve had a few problems.”

Wallace also had concerns about the size of the Tigers’ home base, which he said was not comparable to the grounds used for AFL matches.

“Getting the ball from between half forward flank and wing position on this ground, you are hitting the fat side of the ground quite comfortably. You do the same thing at the MCG and it’s not even making the middle of the ground,” he said.

“What you practice here doesn’t necessarily transcend into playing at the MCG. That’s a concern ... the structure of the ground, there’s no pocket on the Punt Rd side so it’s difficult to formulate things that you want to put in place when the ground conditions are completely different to what you’re playing on.”

Wallace said he hoped the club could reach a compromise with the Richmond Cricket Club, which is based at Punt Road over the summer months.

“I went through that when I was at the Bulldogs and the cricket club got a fantastic facility for themselves at the Merv Hughes Oval, so it was win-win for both,” he said.

“Their history has to be taken absolutely into account.”

Wallace said he did not want to be seen to be making excuses for the Tigers’ poor form over recent seasons but did say inadequate training services had had an effect on the team.

“I thought last year we got between six and eight stress-related injuries from training on inferior grounds, that being here and elsewhere. It ruined our season last year, we had to balance it out a bit.”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=57552