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0 Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has called for a new stadium to be built in the capital city after an unpleasant smell was noticed at GIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The “pungent aroma” as referred to by a reporter in Stuart’s press conference didn’t stop the Raiders from securing a 32-12 win over the Tigers but it didn’t go unnoticed from the club’s long-time coach.
Asked about the smell, Stuart expressed his sympathy for fans who had to put up with it, before making a call for change.
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“I feel sorry for those people there with the stench, it’s shit. I know people laugh about it, but we are the capital of Australia,” he said.
“The stadium administration and stadium people are wonderful people, they accommodate us so well. Milton O’Brien and his team are really good people. They and Canberra deserve a new stadium.
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“It’s absolutely crap they don’t build a stadium to look after Canberra’s people, I’m all for education and I’m all for hospitals, but we have to have some common sense.
“There was a concert here last week and all the buses stopped and people were left stranded.
“Honestly, politically, and I’m very uneducated in politics, which I’m happy about but politics should learn off sport, because I believe there’s a lot of good leaders in sport.”
Last year, a potential new stadium was in planning for Canberra, before the ACT government decided against it.
In May 2023, in a submission to the government, the NRL labelled GIO Stadium “no longer fit-for-purpose”.
In 2023, the ACT government pulled the plug on a potential new stadium in the city centre, instead opting to keep sporting events at the AIS campus in the suburb of Bruce.
Bruce is a 15-minute drive from Canberra’s city centre and has limited public transport access.
