An independent report commissioned by the NRL has declared Manly's Lottoland playing field suitable to continue hosting matches, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Lottoland – formerly known as Brookvale Oval – was slammed by Sydney Roosters winger Brett Morris last weekend after he sustained a knee injury in the Roosters' 26-18 win over the Sea Eagles.
Morris, who is expected to miss two games, admitted he felt angry about the state of the surface, having previously hurt himself at the ground when his knee dug into the turf.
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A spate of players suffered season-ending ACL issues at Lottoland in 2018 and a pre-season trial between Manly and Cronulla had to be moved due to safety concerns.
Lottoland is owned and maintained by Northern Beaches Council and is also used for rugby union clashes.
Rugby league great and NSW coach Brad Fittler has called for the Sea Eagles to consider moving their home matches to Pittwater Rugby Park.
But the independent report, conducted at the behest of NRL head of football Graham Annesley, says the venue is suitable stage NRL fixtures provided some improvements are made beforehand.
Manly will take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Lottoland next Saturday.
“We’ve received the independent assessment and it recommended a course of action which has been accepted by the council and in fact which has already commenced,” Annesley is quoted by The Daily Telegraph.
“If this program is followed over the course of the next week we expect the surface to be in a suitable condition for the NRL game.
“The NRL and the independent assessor will continue to monitor the state and the improvement of the surface over the coming days.”
Per The Daily Telegraph, the updates "relate to the treatment of the turf with changes to the nutrients of the grass and turf management program which should also see better root depth and drainage".
