Roosters Invoice Bulldogs for
Stadium Damage

THE Roosters have sent a letter to the Bulldogs asking for $8000 to cover costs and damages from last Friday night's riot at Aussie Stadium.

Costs include damage to 12 stadium seats and the hiring of extra security and transport.

In the letter the Roosters tell Bulldogs chairman Dr George Peponis that Roosters fans had expressed concerns about their safety before the game.

The letter was written by Roosters' chief executive Brian Canavan after the issue was discussed by the club's board on Monday night.

Mr Canavan said the Roosters believed the majority of Bulldogs fans simply wanted to cheer for their side.

"However, it's clear from the events before and after Friday night's game an element of the crowd at Bulldogs' games overflow into unacceptable behaviour," the letter said.

"We've had to meet these additional costs because of genuine safety concerns raised by our fans leading into this game."

Police investigating the riot are reviewing video footage and newspaper photographs of the brawling.

Officers say they know the identity of about a dozen people and intend to interview them.

At the height of the disturbance 12 seats were badly damaged and some were torn from their bases.

The seats were at the northern end of the grandstand where the majority of the Bulldogs army were positioned.

The Roosters said the crowd of 26,000 might have been bigger had their supporters not been worried about safety.

Because Roosters fans had mentioned safety before the game, the club hired two extra buses to ensure they arrived and left the stadium safely.

The Roosters also doubled the normal police presence.

That alone is understood to have cost $6500 plus $5000 for a 40 per cent increase in security and customer service staff.

The Roosters want the Bulldogs to pay half the extra costs