The AFL Players Association is prepared to play hard ball over the dire state of the Etihad Stadium surface with chief executive Matt Finnis saying on Monday it's time for matches to be moved from the ground if the surface does not improve.
The AFLPA has been accused of being silent on the issue but Finiss revealed on Monday he had phoned AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson on Saturday morning to complain about the surface following Friday night's St Kilda-Hawthorn game when players of both sides had trouble keeping their footing on the indoor arena.
At one stage St Kilda star Leigh Montagna was nearly seriously injured when he did the splits while in the same incident Hawthorn's Chance Bateman also slipped over while running in to contest the ball with Montagna.
Even Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli, who arguably has the best balance in the AFL, had trouble keeping his feet on the surface on Friday night which Finniss described on Monday as like "a skating rink."
While the AFL and Etihad Stadium boss Ian Collins have consistently rejected any criticism of the ground and have accused the players of slipping over because they are not wearing the right footwear - moulded soles instead of screw-ins stops - Finnis said the players' negative attitude towards the ground was beginning to harden.
"Like all of you on Friday night I watched the game at Etihad Stadium and held my
breath hoping no player would be seriously injured," he said.
"Not withstanding (there were no) injuries, it was a game played in conditions which are unacceptable for the style and standard of the game that is played n 2010."
Finnis said the state of the ground was particularly bad for night matches - admitting it played a lot better during Sunday afternoon's match between the Bulldogs and Fremantle - and admitted the players were tired of being blamed for their failure to remain upright while playing at Docklands.
"I think what is unhelpful is when there is a denial of issues or when it's sort of deferred to as an issue of players' footwear."
"That is what upsets the players and I think what the players are looking for is a recognition there are some issues (with the surface) and something needs to be done."
And while the AFL these days refuses to shift matches between its two major venues the MCG and Etihad Stadium due to contractual arrangements, Finnis said it was unacceptable to keep playing matches at Etihad Stadium if the surface condition did not improve.
"Ascetically the surface looks good compared to the patchwork quilt we have seen in the past but on Friday night it looked like an ice staking rink and it was as bad as I have ever seen it and that is unacceptable."
"Hopefully we (the AFL, AFLPA and Etihad Stadium management) can find a situation where we can avoid Friday night's circumstances being repeated."
"And the majority of players have indicated to us that if we can't improve on the situation then it's time the matter of the relocation of games (from Etihad Stadium) at least be canvassed."
It is not the first time the slippery Etihad Stadium surface has come in for criticism and the Docklands venue faces another challenging weekend coming up with an AFL game scheduled for Friday night between Essendon and St Kilda followed by a Bledisloe Cup rugby match between Australia and New Zealand on Saturday night followed by another AFL game on Sunday.
The ground has also hosted numerous concerts which have damaged the surface, including AC/DC earlier this year, with Finnis saying it was time for Etihad Stadium management to consider banning all other events from the stadium other than AFL matches to ensure the surface is up to scratch for its major user.
The last time a match was moved from Etihad Stadium to the MCG because of concerns over the state of the surface was Hawthorn v St Kilda way back in the ground's first year of operation in June, 2000.