By Nick Creely

Suncorp Stadium head grounds manager Matthew Oliver admits the facility “won’t be winning any beauty contests” but is confident the field will be in pristine condition as his team prepares to host the opening State of Origin fixture between Queensland and New South Wales on Wednesday May 28.

The multi-purpose stadium (pictured right) is one of the busiest elite playing venues in the country and will need to quickly get the field ready for State of Origin despite hosting a double-header of Rugby Union on Friday May 23 when Queensland Reds hosted the Hurricanes and the Wallaroos took on Canada earlier. 

Oliver said his crew were working tirelessly to maintain its high standards and the State of Origin fixture is one they’re looking forward to delivering.

“We’re pleased with the surface considering the amount of foot traffic it’s had on it,” he said. “It’s always going to perform and at the moment we’re still trying to transition ryegrass in when we can get a window and try and settle that in. We’ll persist and we’ll win the battle in the end and by the end of winter we’ll have a really good field.”

He said while it wasn’t an ideal lead-in for his team to get the surface ready for Origin, there was a solid plan to ensure the field was at its spectacular best by the Tuesday.

“I’ve got the two Rugby Union matches so I guess you could say it’s been an interrupted preparation for Origin. We’ve had to wash out the League lines after the weekend which is a bit frustrating because you’d like some momentum into the field,” he said.

“Origin is always in the back of mind because you’d like to be protecting the field as much as you can. We’ll turn around from Union on Friday and put out a foliar fertiliser that night and put the growth lights back in, repair any divots and get it ready for Captain’s Runs on Tuesday.

“Logo preparation will also begin on Monday, so there’s a significant amount of logos on the field for Origin. We’ll also line mark on Monday, give it another mow as well and present it to both the Queensland and New South Wales teams by Tuesday.”

The opening State of Origin will kick-off at 8.05pm AEST on Wednesday. The remaining matches will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday June 18 with the final game coming to Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Wednesday July 9. All three matches will be broadcast on Channel 9.

Images provided by Matthew Oliver