Etihad 'good as gold' says All Blacks skipper

MICHAEL CLAYTON-JONES/The Age

MOVING ON: All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is not buying into the Etihad Stadium playing surface debate.

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All Blacks captain Richie McCaw believes the fuss over the state of the state of the ground for tomorrow night's Tri-Nations clash with the Wallabies has been a storm in a tea cup.

While coach Graham Henry issued a guarded one-line statement of approval last night after the All Blacks inspected the controversial playing surface at Etihad Stadium for the first time, McCaw was more forthcoming with his views.

"I think it's been a lot of talk about not much," McCaw said.

"It's obviously not the best I've played on but it's going to be fine I think. There are grounds like that around and I think it will be good as gold.

"Two big forwards pushing a scrum might tear it up a little bit but I'm picking it to be OK."

Most of the controversy over the ground has come from the AFL, regular users of the massive indoor facility. They claim the surface is dangerous with its slippery and shifty nature.

McCaw felt the aerial game of Aussie Rules had different demands for footing and that might be where their concerns lay.

"I guess they are different what they do out in the game compared to us. But just from our point of view you can't change it so there's no point in worrying about it.

"They might have an idea from the way they are moaning about it but from our point of view, let's get on with it."

McCaw suggested he had played on worse grounds and Eithad's problems were no different to Cardiff's roofed Millennium Stadium.

Australian officials are hopeful that the ground will be close to a sell out with around 56,000 people likely to watch the game live.

- © Fairfax NZ News