Dunedin City Council chief parks officer Neville Miller inspected the worst-affected grounds yesterday and was pleased with the state of the grass.
''Some of the grounds got the benefit of the thunder storm on Sunday and it's softened up the grounds considerably,'' he said.
''It is still hard at depth and this is a bit of a concern but we should be right for this weekend. If we get a bit of rain in the next day or two we should be right.''
Hancock Park was too hard for premier rugby to be played on it at Easter but it and Kettle Park can be used this weekend.
''Both Hancock Park and Kettle Park have good grass cover.
''It just needs underneath the surface to soften a bit more and it will be as good as gold.''
He said rain was still needed but not too much.
''A couple or three days of drizzle would be ideal.
''We don't want a big, big rain all in one go because it could cause problems. A few evening rains over the next week would be perfect.''
The hot Dunedin summer has scorched the grounds. It has been good for summer sports but it has caused a few problems for the winter codes.
''One of the problems we have is that the grounds are really hard underneath, so that if we do get some rain it will just sit on the surface,'' Miller explained.
He is concerned about games being played on grounds after heavy rain.
''The players could pug the ground up pretty quickly and we would have other problems.''
The big concern is to have enough grass cover to last for the winter months.
''It is a concern if these conditions continue. We are into April and the closer we get to winter the less grass growth we are going to get.''
