Optus Stadium's huge test AFL after State of Origin slugfest
Perth's $1.6 billion Optus Stadium is under intense pressure as it backs up for an AFL game on Thursday night less than 24 hours after a brutal State of Origin contest on the ground.
The surface at the stadium, which was officially opened in 2018, has come in for criticism in recent years, leading to extensive renovations at the start of 2025.
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Back in 2023, footage emerged of stadium staff relaying grass on sections around the ground, while the following year the slippery surface was criticised by former West Coast coach Adam Simpson and ex-Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt following a Fremantle clash with the Suns.
It is facing its sternest test since then after hosting three AFL games over the last six days, along with Wednesday's typically physical Origin clash held in driving rain.
Watch the ground transformation in the video player above
The Dockers beat North Melbourne at the venue on June 14, a day before the Blues took care of West Coast, while Fremantle is hosting Essendon on Thursday night.
Thirty ground staff worked on the pitch since the rugby league game finished and Optus Stadium chief executive Mike McKenna was extremely confident it would 'look like it's a new ground' by the time the AFL fixture had its opening bounce.
'When the (State of Origin) game finishes tonight, there'll be obvious signs that it's been played on, but by the time we get to tomorrow evening, it'll look like it's a new ground,' McKenna told AFL.com.au.
'I think we'll come out of this game into tomorrow and it won't be very noticeable, so I think we'll see a really strong result and we're really confident that it will play really well right through the season.'
State of Origin matches in the NRL are renowned as among the most bruising in Australian sport, with the players often causing significant damage to playing surfaces.
Regular NRL grounds including Sydney's Accor Stadium and Allianz Stadium often come in for criticism for its turf quality.
The surface was a hot topic prior to the Dockers' home game as they chased a fifth straight win.
'How nervous are the AFL going to be tonight given just how much wear and tear it's had lately?' Fox Footy's Jon Ralph was asked pre-match.
'No doubt. The Optus Stadium boss, Mike McKenna, says the ground will look brand spanking new, but Fremantle certainly has concerns,' Ralph reported.
'So the NRL State of Origin was played last night in drenching rain.
'The Dockers and Essendon get the official report from the AFL a couple of hours beforehand, but as (Fremantle) footy boss Joe Brierty says, it's clearly too late to make any changes at that stage.
'The third AFL game in six days, the Optus Stadium turf did undergo a renovation over summer, the drainage is so much better.
'Essendon will liaise with their players about the long stops in boots. The players don't love wearing them, they do pull up really sore.
'The 30 workers who worked around the clock to try to get this in good nick, and it certainly looks OK, it just depends how it plays.'
Sarah Jones added: 'We'll have a close eye on that. It might be a headline waiting to happen.'
Reporting from ground level, Kath Loughnan said the ground looked 'pretty good' and the ground staff had done a 'pretty good job' before the game commenced.
It also helped that solid rain in Perth this week had eased by Thursday night, but fans watching on weren't impressed by what they were seeing.
An X account called Gazzalinga tweeted: 'I'm sorry, the Optus Stadium looks horrible right now.
'I know they said people have worked tirelessly to get it ready for the game but who in their right mind would actively play on that ground in current condition? Surely someone is going to be pulling up.'
Daniel Hikisz quipped: 'Seen enough, the surface isn't up to AFL standard. Call off the game now, we take the 4 points and move on.'
With the Perth Bears set to join the NRL competition in 2027, Scott King wrote: 'When North Sydney Bears start playing in Perth, they CANNOT play at Optus Stadium. The centre of the ground looks terrible. Go find a rugby ground.'
Despite obvious signs around the ground the NRL match had been played the night before the turf was holding up reasonably well as the Dockers took a 16-point lead into halftime.
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