Gabba pitch not in trouble minister 20170315 p5vbrk.html – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Gabba pitch not in trouble: Minister

AAP

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The Queensland government is confident the Gabba's grass playing surface will hold up for the upcoming AFL women's grand final, as well as the Ashes later this year.

It comes after Queensland Cricket raised concerns two recent concerts by singer Adele left the pitch with not enough time to recover before the AFLW final is held next Saturday.

It was feared this would then have knock-on effects for the playing surface for the rest of the year.

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But Queensland's Sports Minister Mick de Brenni said he had full confidence the ground staff could manage the surface through all the upcoming events.

"I've had a good look at the pitch today with stadium management and what they've told me is we're on track," Mr de Brenni said on Wednesday.

"This Friday we'll be meeting with independent ground experts who'll be advising myself, stadium management, Stadiums Queensland and the AFL on the readiness of this pitch to host next Saturday's game."

The minister said the government didn't regret holding the concerts at the venue and would consider hosting more concerts there.

"If we can continue to bring big acts to Queensland and have our pitches ready to go for sport then we'll certainly consider that," he said.

The final decision on whether the AFLW final will be held at the Gabba will be made on Friday following the meeting, with the minister saying they haven't put forward a backup venue at this stage.

Queensland Cricket has also reportedly requested the first two games of the regular AFL season be played elsewhere, to give time for the new grass to take root.

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