The SCG has come under fire after Sydney’s clash against Essendon was halted early in the first quarter for urgent repairs to the turf.

After Essendon youngster Archie Perkins kicked a goal, players and umpires noticed a hole in the ground just inside the Bombers’ attacking 50.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Play stopped at SCG for bizarre reason.

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The umpire stopped the game as everyone waited for a curator to come fix the problem.

Sydney star Nick Blakey put his foot in the hole, which was shallow but still enough to cause damage if not filled.

The commentary team speculated it was a sprinkler hole.

“Hole in the ground, Adam Lewis and his team who are outstanding will get that sorted sharply,” Mark Howard said in commentary.

There had been heavy rain in Sydney throughout the week.

Ben Dixon added: “They have done a truckload of work to obviously get that end of the ground to the elite standard that’s expected.”

“Is it an embarrassing moment for the groundsmen?” Dermott Brereton asked.

As everyone waited for a groundsperson to come out, it was noted that they weren’t prepared.

Eventually, someone came out with a bucket and filled the hole with sand.

“The curious situation has been resolved,” Howard added.

The man received a warm round of applause as he left the field.

The game then promptly restarted.

Earlier in the season, the SCG earlier came under heavy criticism after several players slipped over during the Swans’ clash with the Western Bulldogs six weeks ago.

Conditions threatened to turn ugly in the second term when the rain came pouring down.

But it eased in the second half as the Swans cruised to a scrappy 14-point win.

Superstar Errol Gulden kicked the first goal of the game in his 100th AFL match, and the Swans were never headed thereafter, cruising to a 9.14 (68) to 7.12 (54) win on Saturday.With Nick Blakey (28 disposals) controlling play from the back half, and Gulden (30 disposals) and Isaac Heeney (28 disposals) racking up possessions through the middle, the Swans never looked like losing.

Ruckman Brodie Grundy, who has polled coaches’ votes in his last seven games, continued his outstanding form, giving the Sydney midfielders first use around stoppages and winning plenty of the ball himself, finishing with 39 disposals.

The Swans lacked an obvious focal point in attack, with Joel Amartey, Logan McDonald and Hayden McLean on the sidelines, but found goals through Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney, who kicked two each.

Essendon battled hard around the contest, finishing with just eight fewer contested possessions, but the gap in class when it came to ball use was obvious.

The Swans had 115 more uncontested disposals, and were able to change angles and create handball chains while the Bombers looked impotent with the ball in hand.With 16 players unavailable due to injury, the Bombers looked undermanned and often uninspired, regularly kicking the ball long down the line for little reward on the scoreboard.

Essendon could manage just four goals to three-quarter time, but continued to fight, mounting a late challenge in the final term through goals from Mason Redman, Isaac Kako and Lachie Blakiston.

But after the Bombers trimmed the margin to 13 points with plenty of time left on the clock, Sydney settled and took control, slowing down play and chipping the ball around.

Sam Durham battled manfully for the Bombers, while Rising Star contender Archie Roberts showed great composure in the back half, but there was little else for Essendon fans to take out of the match.

With finals out of the equation for both sides, Sydney will meet Brisbane, Geelong and West Coast in their final three games of the season, while Essendon have matches against Geelong, St Kilda, Carlton and Gold Coast to come.

- With AAP