The NRL has confirmed Cronulla's home derby with St George Illawarra will go ahead as planned on Sunday afternoon despite flooding inside and outside Shark Park.
Heavy rain over the past week and ongoing drainage issues at the site have seen flooded areas emerge outside one of the entrances to Shark Park and forced the closure of the Captain Cook playing fields car park at the other side of the street.
Videos and images also emerged of a waterlogged field at Shark Park, with flooded corners at both the north and south ends. Flooding could affect the NRL apparatus if the water is not properly removed.
Sharks chief executive Dino Mezzatesta made a morning trip to Bunnings hardware store to buy pumps and hoses to drain water from the pitch, but said the club was “up”.
“The more hands on deck, the more pumps the better,” Mezzatesta said.
The NRL said they would carry out their usual inspection of the ground before kick-off, but at this point the game would still go ahead.
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The County has had about 69mm of rain in the last 24 hours, and another 20-40mm of rain is expected throughout today. But Mezzatesta said the hobby would pick up over time.
“Local derby, so I imagine there are people who are tough, a little rain won't hurt them, they will still attend.”
More to come
