The fallout from the foul "stench" in the bowels of Canberra Stadium reached a crescendo on Monday when Sport Minister Yvette Berry blamed the Canberra Raiders for the source of the smell.
In a curious case of poo dunnit, Berry said at a press conference on Monday that the Raiders "inadvertently" caused the odour underneath the Mal Meninga grandstand. She said the NRL team was "using a space that wasn't appropriate to store equipment" during their home clash against the Wests Tigers.
The rotten eggs smell that wafted between change rooms for all teams, the post-match media room, the referees' base, and operational areas, prompted Raiders coach Ricky Stuart to describe the ongoing delays in Canberra's pursuit of a new stadium as "absolute crap".
Berry's explanation of the odour was quickly dismissed by venue management after an inspection by plumbers discovered "a failed pump was the cause".
The source of the odour was found to be coming from an 8-by-6 metre "pit room" adjacent to the players' and officials' change rooms, that has two heavy sewer pit lids on the floor. Ball boys placed their bags there before the game.
"The failed pump wouldn't have allowed the sewer pit to release," Venues Canberra boss Matt Elkins said.
"There's been no effluent that has left the pit, but the pit has got to its absolute capacity and that caused the smell in the pit room.
"There was no sewer pipe opened. I think the Minister meant to refer to the pit room. It has signage stored in it, and the door was ajar, which would have amplified the smell but it definitely was not the cause of the smell."
Berry had earlier indicated the problem was caused by the Raiders using the room to store signage. The Raiders were shocked and furious about Berry's incorrect description.
"Unfortunately, inadvertently, it was caused by the Raiders using a space that wasn't appropriate to store equipment," Berry said, accusing the club of opening a sewer pipe.
Elkins confirmed the pump issue had since been rectified.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner said Berry's press conference was the first instance he had heard of club staff being held responsible for causing the smell at the stadium.
"To me, that just does not make sense. But we are awaiting the official report from stadium management with whom we have a good relationship," Furner said. "But what the Minister said didn't make sense."
The ACT government has been contacted for further comment.
The Brumbies are playing at Canberra Stadium on Friday, with the Socceroos to host Lebanon next Tuesday.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham weighed in on Stuart's comments lamenting the state of the stadium, revealing there was a "stench" in the rugby side's old change rooms, too.
"In about 2018 we moved from the number one change room to the second change room, which is a lot bigger and the smell in there is not as bad," Larkham said.
"I know there's some issues in the other change room. You kind of get used to it after a while of being in there. It's a great stadium. There's a lot of history around the stadium, we have a lot of respect for the guys who are managing it, and the way they prepare the surface and the stadium for the events has been phenomenal.
"The opposition team goes into those change rooms. So it's not something we're particularly worried about."
The debate about upgrading the stadium first built in 1979 began back in 2009, and in 2024 advocates for an upgrade like Stuart and Larkham are still desperately pushing for some progress.
Stuart's frustration post-match at the foul smell came from a lengthy personal campaign to get a new stadium in the capital, with the current facilities outdated in comparison to venues in other major cities.
"I feel sorry for those people there with the stench," the Raiders coach said.
"I know people laugh at it. But we are the capital of Australia.
"The stadium administration are wonderful and they accommodate us so well. They, and Canberra, deserve a new stadium. It's absolutely crap that they don't build a stadium to look after Canberra's people."
The ACT government did announce in June it plans to spend more than $500 million to build a new 30,000-seat stadium at Bruce by 2033, with the final location of the project still to be finalised later this year.
