"Not up to speed": Calls to upgrade to Canberra's 's--thouse stadium' grow

Corey Parker and Andrew McCullough have both called for Canberra's GIO Stadium to be upgraded after both Cameron Ciraldo and Ricky Stuart criticised the venue.

The Bulldogs and Raiders would battle it out in the nation’s capital, with Canterbury-Bankstown winning 14-10.

But while they secured a positive result, it wasn’t all smiles for the blue and white.

During the second half, the Bulldogs' coaching staff attempted to open a window in the coaches’ box, which subsequently shattered.

Some of that glass would go into Ciraldo’s right hand, which forced the former Knights player to get stitching on his right hand after the match.

That prompted Ciraldo to suggest that the stadium needed to be upgraded to avoid another incident like it.

“It’s a great place to play. It’s a great atmosphere,” he told the media.

“But it deserves an upgrade. You can’t have stuff like that happening.”

Stuart also expressed his concerns about the quality of their home ground.

“It’s no good whingeing about it, because the people you’ve got to whinge to don’t give a s—t,” he said.

“People who make decisions about our stadium don’t care about the stadium. They don’t care about the nation’s capital having a s--thouse stadium that we have.

“That’s why I don’t think about it, I don’t care. We just do what we’ve got to do, because they don’t care.”

The issue of whether to upgrade/redevelop the nearly 50-year-old venue or build a new stadium has been a hotly contested one within the ACT.  

During their last election in 2024, ACT Labor confirmed in their policy manifesto that they were committed to finalising the business case for a new 30,000-seater stadium.

If that goes ahead, construction won’t take place until the early 2030s, which would allow the current venue to continue deteriorating even further.

Speaking about the issue on SENQ Breakfast, both believed that the stadium was in dire need of an upgrade.

Parker: "Last year, he (Stuart) made mention about the stadium reeking of sewer."

"We’ve played there. It’s a hostile environment, the crowd get behind their local team."

"Minor premiers, mind you, from last year, amazing season from them."

"And the upside for that team at the moment, where they’re going. They are not the only team that plays there; the Brumbies play there."

"The stadium is not up to speed."

McCullough: "Even if you look at that whole precinct, it needs a really good facelift."

"You look at the old facility, I think NSW have when you first get in there on the right-hand side, the old training facility."

"The athletics track next door to them as well. I know you’ve got the AIS to the left but that whole precinct needs a dead set upgrade."

"Someone needs to listen because it is our national (capital)."

The Raiders’ next home game will be on March 29 when they face off against the Sharks in a re-match of last year’s semi-final.