A screw and shards from plastic cups were collected from the debris-strewn pitch prior to kick-off. Much of it blown down from the stands by high winds 24 hours earlier.

The players union said it would continue to address the issue during its scheduled weekly meeting with Football Federation Australia (FFA).

“In our game, the quality of the playing surface afforded to the players is critical," PFA Chief Executive John Didulica said.

"It is impossible for any player to play to their capacity when a fundamental component of the game is hijacked."

Before the match a number of players raised serious concerns with the PFA about the state of the ground.

Didulica added: "Through our discussions with the clubs and FFA since the match we accept the extreme weather leading into the fixture in Sydney contributed to the dangerous conditions. 

"However, this does not change the heightened risk of injury that players were exposed to nor the overall inadequacy of the surface for football. I think everybody in the game - players, administrators, coaches and fans - deserve higher standards of care from our stadiums if they wish to host football matches."
 
The PFA will survey all players involved in the match in order to ascertain the collective feedback on the condition of the playing surface.