Sorry state: Anxious home ground wait for Eagles and Power

COLLIE winter sports clubs are facing the prospect of having to move home games to alternative venues due to the poor condition of ground surfaces.
The Collie Eagles Football Club has moved an upcoming scratch match against Carey Park out of town due to the Collie Recreation Ground not being fit to play on.
The club has also taken the precaution of booking an alternative venue in Bunbury for its round two home fixture against Harvey Bulls on March 28 should the ground remain unplayable.
Collie Power Soccer Club president Shane Cole told the Bulletin the club is not confident the bottom pitch at Roche Park Recreation Centre will be ready in time for the club’s first home fixture in mid-April.
Mr Cole said the club is working with Collie Shire on alternative options.
The shire is also working with the club to arrange portable light towers, allowing it to continue preseason training on the centre’s top pitch, which hosts junior games during the season.
Both clubs separately met with the shire last week to discuss the issue.
Eagles football director Matt Hislop said concerns had been expressed to the shire from the end of last year.
“We are working with the shire to get the ground up to speed,” Mr Hislop said.
“We are working through a few challenges now.”
The Collie Lawn Tennis Club and Collie Cricket Club also confirmed that they have experienced issues with ground surfaces, which have created challenging playing conditions during their ongoing seasons.
The issue was raised by former Collie-Preston MLA Mick Murray at the shire’s annual electors’ meeting last Tuesday night.
Mr Murray said it would be “a very big job” to get the recreation ground up to standard, and asked whether the shire would consider providing compensation for the Eagles.
Shire chief executive officer Phil Anastasakis said any matter of compensation would need to be taken to council.
“We have been aware for some time that the football oval and soccer oval, and a number of other areas around that central recreation space, have had real problems in regards to the condition of the ovals,” Mr Anastasakis said.
“We had some problems before the Christmas break and over the Christmas break in regards to a break in the water pipe that wasn’t picked up for a period.”
Mr Anastasakis said an external contractor has been reviewing ovals around the town over the last two months.
“What we’ve found is that there has been a backlog of work that’s needed in regards to reticulation systems and the commissioning of the systems every year,” he said.
“Through that process we’ve identified that there is a backlog of actual infrastructure works that we need.”
Responding to Bulletin queries following the meeting, Mr Anastasakis advised that the condition of the recreation ground is due to a variety of factors, including inadequate watering around late December and early January, “partly due to reticulation breakdowns”.
Mr Anastasakis said an infestation of African black beetles and their larvae, which feed on grass roots, has also been detected, resulting in dead spots and attracting ibis, which have been scratching and digging around the oval, causing bare patches and divots.
Nematodes, roundworms which damage root systems, have also been detected in the soil.
The contractor, Oz Landscaping Services, has been engaged to undertake remediation works, including the rollout of a fertilising and insecticide control program for the recreation ground and recreation centre surfaces, Mr Anastasakis told the Bulletin.
Two Oz Landscaping personnel have been engaged for onsite supervision and assistance, while one Parks and Gardens staff member is working full-time at the recreation ground and one at the recreation centre.
Mr Anastasakis said it is also being examined whether portions of new turf will need to be laid at the recreation ground.