All Blacks OK with Etihad Stadium surface

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All Blacks coach Graham Henry gave Melbourne's under-fire Etihad Stadium guarded approval after visiting the venue for the weekend's Tri-Nations clash with the Wallabies.

The All Blacks visited the stadium in downtown Melbourne late on Thursday afternoon after training at a city school.

"The ground looks fine but the proof will come on Saturday," was Henry's comment on the field.

The massive indoor venue is shrouded in controversy at the moment because of the slippery state of its playing surface.

Poor grass covering and the shifty nature underfoot have had the ground labelled dangerous by various AFL officials.

A regular venue for Aussie Rules, it seems that sport appears ready to walk away from it unless major improvements are made to ensure the playing surface is consistently good.

The state of the ground has overshadowed the rugby test, which doubles as a Bledisloe Cup match, in the buildup this week.

The ground has had special heat and lighting applied to it in efforts to improve the grass cover.

The oval nature of the arena means some of the worst past of the surfaces are closer to the boundaries where they are in the shadow of the stands.

With the rugby field being marked out in a central position there is hope it will be in an area of the park that is in better condition.

The biggest problems could come at scrum time while their are worries that the expansive running game being successfully employed by both the All Balcks and the Wallabies could be compromised by the pitch.

The rugby officials will be hoping the ground isn't cut up too much by the prime AFL match being played there tomorrow night between St Kilda and Essendon.

The All Blacks had tomorrow's traditional captain's run at the venue cancelled - much to their frustration - because their afternoon time slot was too close to that match.

The All Blacks goalkickers will get a brief opportunity t get a feel fro the quirks of the stadium early on Friday morning.

The Wallabies have their captain's run at the venue later in the morning.

- © Fairfax NZ News