North Melbourne coach Brad Scott took a look at the surface during the week and flagged his worries to AFL.com.au while Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said he expected the surface to play hard.
The Kangaroos and Magpies take part in the stadium's second game next weekend, a Sunday twilight fixture, following Saturday afternoon's game between Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions.
"We're confident that it will present well and play well for round one," stadium spokesman Bill Lane told AFL.com.au.
"There'll be the usual ground inspections prior to the opening round which will enable competing clubs, the AFLPA and the AFL to express any comments they'd like to make."
"There were no complaints from either club following the NAB Cup grand final."
Scott said concerns about the surface would continue, for as long as the stadium remained in the hands of a private operator.
"When you have concerts this close to round one it's always a concern, so I mean you back them in to get it up, but if it's not in the condition it should be then the criticism will come their way and so it should," Scott said.
"Everyone knows it's a predominately a football ground and it just needs to be in the right nick for round one."
Buckley, like Scott, was also at Etihad Stadium for the AFL Coaches' Association conference on Wednesday.
"It's actually not as patchy as it has been the past," Buckley said.
"It is quite hard, it's a fast track, it is going to be pretty fast early in the season.
"That's what you expect, early home and away football is fast and frenetic, and potentially not as clean as it is later in the season."
Lane said testing on the surface had taken place.
"We've had independent testing undertaken and it showed that we were in the preferred range in terms of hardness in terms of any AFL venue," Lane said.
"We haven't had any negative reaction from any clubs in regards to hardness."
The AFL has been working to purchase Etihad Stadium ahead of its scheduled acquisition in 2025, which would give the League complete control over the ground.
The purchase would also offer relief to tenant clubs including the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and St Kilda, which currently suffer financial pain as part of inferior contracts with the venue.
Matt Thompson is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @MattThompsonAFL
