Flooded Suncorp Stadium racing clock to host Reynolds’ rumble with Rabbitohs
The lessons learned from the devastating floods of 2011 have helped Suncorp Stadium not get swamped but the venue will still be racing the clock to host its round one NRL opener between Brisbane and South Sydney next Friday.
It was a frightening but familiar sight for many Brisbane residents as they awoke on Monday to major flooding across the city after a record deluge led to the Brisbane River breaking its banks and suburbs inundated.
Inner-city Milton, where Suncorp Stadium stands, wasn’t spared and the ground had water throughout its dressing rooms and across the field.
It wasn’t as serious as the catastrophic floods in 2011 that meant the venue had to be gutted but it has still cast doubt on this Friday night’s Super Rugby clash and the ground’s NRL opener next week.
General manager Alan Graham said they hadn’t given up on keeping the much-anticipated Broncos-Rabbitohs clash, which should feature Adam Reynolds against his former side, but they needed the stars to align, the nearby Brisbane River to subside and the weather to hold firm.
“It seems to be more rainwater than river water [on the field], which is a good thing. But we’re still dependent on the river going down, obviously the stormwater isn’t going to go anywhere if the river is still flooding,” Graham said.
The view over a flooded Brisbane River and Howard Smith Wharves, only minutes before police gave an evacuation order due to a stray pontoon and crane.
“There shouldn’t be too much damage because after the 2011 floods, we made some significant changes and moved a lot of important things up high [under the stadium]. There shouldn’t be too much damage but it’s just washing it out and cleaning it.”
The flood level in the dressing rooms and stadium interior was a full metre less than 2011 but just clearing the water isn’t the only concern for Graham and his team, who have worked around the clock to try and minimise the impact as the rain pelted down in the Queensland capital.
They will have to ensure the power supply is working, nearby roads are open and functioning and hope the forecast of further rain towards the end of the week and into next weekend are off the mark.
“We’re certainly working towards that Broncos game. The message is we need to make sure we have things going our way. If that does happen, we may be able to hold the game. We had prepared the stadium a lot better [than 2011], that minimised the impact.”
Sunshine Coast Stadium looked set to host its first Super Rugby match if the Fjiian Drua moved their home game from Suncorp Stadium to the Kawana ground this Friday.
Drua chief executive Brian Thorburn said he had not yet made a final call but it looked unlikely that water levels would drop enough to give him confidence Suncorp could host the fixture.
The Drua were due to host the Melbourne Rebels in round three but have had to look at alternatives, including Cbus Super Stadium. But with the Gold Coast venue due to host a Titans function on Friday night, the 11,000-seat Sunshine Coast Stadium became the best option.
In good news for fans, the Drua are set to sell tickets for $20 to try to draw a crowd after rain lashed vast areas of the Sunshine Coast and surrounds. Despite widespread devastation in northern NSW, the Drua appear safe and dry on their sliver of land between Lake Ainsworth and the ocean at Lennox Head.
The Reds, however, were less fortunate, with waist-high water inundating the Ballymore field and flooding the team’s gym.
Chief executive David Hanham led an all-hands-on-deck effort to sweep out water and mud, while inner-city school St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace let the Reds squad train in its gym. The Reds are trying to find a training ground with many of the Premier Rugby club fields also underwater.
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