Geelong coach Mark Thompson has tried to play down speculation that fullback Matthew Scarlett's withdrawal from Saturday's clash with Sydney was because of the playing surface.

"He has just got a tight back and that was referring pain into his hamstrings," Thompson said after Geelong's 39-point win at ANZ Stadium to post a 19-1 record from 20 rounds this AFL season.

Asked if the surface was a consideration, the coach added: "Well it was a bit of a ... no, not really, no."

The Cats had expressed reservations about the playing surface at ANZ Stadium, after it had attracted criticism for shifting underfoot during Sydney's game against Collingwood on July 5.

In that game, large divots were made on the ground, particularly on the wings.

Geelong's assistant football operations manager Steve Hocking said on Friday: "The ground's patchy but it will hold up for the game."

Cats forward Cameron Mooney was speaking to reporters on Saturday night when a team official walked past and commented on how hard the ground was.

Mooney casually remarked that it was "shocking".

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