Dreaming up AFL State of Origin teams
Roar Rookie In the spirit of State of Origin, what would the AFL Queensland and New South Wales representative squads look like?
Based on the criteria that place of birth and junior club or clubs played for and or drafted from both qualify for eligibility, these are the teams that I have selected.
Firstly the New South Wales and ACT team:
F Justin Koschitzke Tom Hawkins Isaac Smith
HF Adam Schneider Taylor Walker Ben McGlynn
C Kieran Jack Lenny Hayes Craig Bird
HB Tony Armstrong L. Roberts-Thompson Mark McVeigh
B Dylan Addison Phil Davis Brent Staker
R Hamish McIntosh Daniel Cross Jarrad McVeigh
I Matthew Suckling Luke Breust Jacob Townsend
Sub Aiden Riley
Emg Jason Tutt Malcolm Lynch Nathan Gordon
And the Queenslanders:
F David Hale Kurt Tippett Jarrod Harbrow
HF Michael Osbourne Nick Riewoldt Ricky Petterd
C David Armitage Dane Beams Courtenay Dempsey
HB Brendan Whitecross Sam Gilbert Cheynee Stiller
B Luke McGuane Daniel Merrett Josh Drummond
R Shaun Hampson Simon Black Karmichael Hunt
I Rohan Bail Claye Beams Andrew Raines
Sub Joel MacDonald
Emg Zac Smith Brad Miller Peter Yagmoor
If I had to pick a winner, I would go with New South Wales. I feel their spine (Hawkins, Walker, Hayes, LRT and Davis) is very solid and their midfield just shades that of the Queenslanders. Even so, this would be a close game indeed.
Furthermore, St Kilda and Hawthorn each supply six players for these two teams. I am not sure if that is a coincidence or perhaps they invest heavily in scouting these two regions. The Western Australian clubs have zero representation in these two squads, which is an interesting point.
In addition to the attitudes of the clubs from a recruiting point of view, I believe that the development Queensland and NSW/ACT footballers has taken some huge leaps forward in the past decade to be able to produce this quantity and quality of players.
If these two teams were to play who do you think would win? Who would you put in your Queensland or New South Wales teams?
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The Crowd Says (42) | Page 1 of Comments
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July 3rd 2012 @ 6:15am
Swampy said | July 3rd 2012 @ 6:15am | Report comment
You can’t count players who play club football in either state. It defeats the purpose.
Based on those teams though, QLD would win by 100.
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July 3rd 2012 @ 11:35am
JasonA said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:35am | Report comment
How does it defeat the purpose?
Are you saying that WA would not select Nic Nat or Glass?
July 3rd 2012 @ 5:53pm
Timmuh said | July 3rd 2012 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
It only defeats the purpose if, under the last Australia Football SoO rules, the player would not be eligible for the state.
Simon Black, for example, while born in Qld would be eligible for WA because he moved there quite young. (For the same reason Tasmanian born Nick Reiwoldt would be Queensland eligible.) The last eligibility rules used were based on where the player lived for the majority of their time in a certain age bracket (I think it was between ages 11 and 16, but am not sure on that).
There had been earlier rules which allowed for players playing in a state to be eligible for that state. As a result, some players ended up paying for more than one state (Carey played for NSW and SA, Dunstall played for Vic and Qld/NT). Eligibility was always a problem issue, but eventually a system came into place where each player had only one state.
July 3rd 2012 @ 9:39am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 9:39am | Report comment
RL Soo works becuase we are predominatley only 2 states supplying the players and thier is a long history of state rivalry. I dont think AFL would work becuase Melb is where the majority of the best players come from (i think) and you have 2 other major states who also
contribute quality players. IMO a tri series would not work but if AFL could come up with a concept where the players and fans embraced the concept as much as we do in RL then i would love to see it, A game where you have the best vs the best where the players give there all would be awesome veiwing, and something id take an interest in seeing.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:24am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You’re being ignorant again. Australian Rules did Origin before league did – and it abandoned it, because it is a cancer that eats away at the week-in, week-out club competition.
If you dont believe rep games are the enemy of club games, look at cricket. Club cricket used to get ten thousand in Sydney, abck when Trumper was playing and rep sides didnt play every other weekend.
Have some film of SoO from 1978.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:38pm
Cman said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
“Australian Rules did Origin before league did – and it abandoned it”
Who cares who came up with it first!
McDonalds didn’t come up with the hamburger but turned making hamburgers into a great success.
The AFL is like the old Corner Shop owner saying “But, but…I sold Hamburgs first”
NRL= McDonalds
AFL = Corner shop
Rugby League will be setting new TV viewing records this week the AFL will not.
July 3rd 2012 @ 4:13pm
matt said | July 3rd 2012 @ 4:13pm | Report comment
the corner shop burgers taste better then mcdonalds burgers
July 3rd 2012 @ 6:14pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 6:14pm | Report comment
Cman,
Its actually the opposite.
The AFL is going ‘geez, we’re glad we stopped running our special hamburger nights. People were going to them, and avoiding the other 97 night a year’.
July 3rd 2012 @ 7:14pm
Punter said | July 3rd 2012 @ 7:14pm | Report comment
Funny I have always thought of AFL being the McDonalds of Australian sport, expanding into other people heartland, but the locals are saying but we have our own local cuisine & the AFL saying but McDonald’s is the Australian burger, we should all enjoy it.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:28pm
Lachlan said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:28pm | Report comment
Well when a sport only captures the hearts of people in nsw and queensland and doesn’t have a national dominance like “Australia’s Game” it’s only limited to certain things…….Hence the reason we got rid of it.
July 4th 2012 @ 7:48am
Cman said | July 4th 2012 @ 7:48am | Report comment
Keep telling yourself that Lachlan if it helps you. But you do know the NRL are once again going to breaking TV viewing recorders in Melbourne tonight for SOO.
July 4th 2012 @ 8:46am
Redb said | July 4th 2012 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Cman,
Your joking right. The TV ratings for SOO RL boxing might hit 400,000, thats not even what the AFL gets for a regular Friday night game on FTA and Foxtel combined over 3 hours for Melbourne now its live.
The AFL GF pulls 1.5M in Melbourne. Origin doesnt come close. lol
Most casual viewers watch for the fights. its the one thing that has been removed from AFL that gets missed in anachronistic type of way, that is the odd biff that gets allowed in Origin.
July 4th 2012 @ 11:06am
Cman said | July 4th 2012 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I’m talking about a record for RL SOO in Melbourne not sport in general.
400,000 is a very impressive number for a game that Lachlan the Guru described having no national dominance. The AFL would be happy with those numbers most friday night for a AFL game in melbourne.
July 4th 2012 @ 3:42pm
Redb said | July 4th 2012 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
So basicially your post was wrong.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:33am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:33am | Report comment
Mate you need to get over your self, I am fully aware of where the concept of SOO originated, I did not say otherwise. My comment was only about how i would love to see an AFL soo type match in the AFL where the fans went nuts and the players took the game seriously
enough to put their bodys on the line as is in RL SOO. surley you would like to see a game of AFL between the best of the best played at a higher level than week in week out footy, which would happen if you had the best of the best in a contest that meant something to them. Yes the AFL is supported and played passionatley now but wouldnt even you like to see it played 1 more level up ?
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:37am
Redb said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You openly state you know nothing.
Pretty impressive for the AFL to even assemble a NSW and QLD team on players.
The NRL is nowhere near the same in Vic, SA and WA.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:52am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
It is impressive and imo you are missing out on not seeing them play at another level, but why do you feel the need to get defensive and slag of at RL, i wasnt havin ago at AFL, im actually trying to take an interest but blokes like you and IW make it pretty hard to.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:18am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:18am | Report comment
By the way, troll, another of Origin’s crimes against rugby league is lets assume you *are* a potentially great rugby league player from WA, SA or Victoria.
If you want to play Origin, for the sake of your long term career and professional development, you need to stop strengthening League in those states and move to Queensland or NSW before the age of 18 to establish beyond doubt your eligibility to play at the top level of the game.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:25am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:25am | Report comment
You really have no Clue, You comment plenty on the RL section but anyway Players are recruited to major clubs at 16 yrs old and depending which club they sign with that is where they play thier first senior football hence making them available for SOO.
And as the game devolps in other states we could have a WA vs Queensland or NSW 2 nd tier SOO played as a curtain raiser.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:46am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
The point you’re missing is Im a rugby league fan as well.
I just see the damage Origin does.
But as to that example. Lets say we have a sixteen year old Victorian, signed to the Melbourne Storm. Queensland, New South Wales, or neither ?
I
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:41am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You dont realise it, but you just explained why the code with a clue abandoned SoO.
Crowd numbers are crap at this time of year in rugby league, as it’s Origin time, and the best players are sucked out of their club sides, to be rested before or recovering after Origin.
As well, because the club competition is no longer the best you can see, it gives people an excuse to not see club games.
So, no, I dont want to see rep games of Australian rules. I want to see club sides, battling it out for the ultimate honour of a premiership. I dont want to see the premiership as what it is in the NRL, which are trial games for Origin.
July 3rd 2012 @ 10:55am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 10:55am | Report comment
Well mate i think thats sad, and for a sport that you say has a clue, how is not giving your players another level to aspire to and having a major event for new supporters to take an interest in forward thinking?
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:15am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
Because – just like it has with cricket and rugby union – rep games strangle the professional clubs, by making them second-rate.
No one cares about Queensland vs New South Wales in cricket, because thats played between the cricketers who arent good enough to play for Australia in Tests.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:19am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:19am | Report comment
Thats not a valid point, SOO is only 3 games a year over a 6 week period where clubs have buys to rest players. And if State cricketers are not good enough to play for Aust where did they current players come from ?
July 3rd 2012 @ 7:33pm
Punter said | July 3rd 2012 @ 7:33pm | Report comment
Rep games in football like the recent European championships doesn’t hurt the professional clubs like Manchester united or Barcelona!!!!
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:52am
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:52am | Report comment
@ Ian, If he plays for the Storm then he will be a Queenslander becuase that is where thier feeder club is.
No 16 yr old will go straight into a first grade team.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:05pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:05pm | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
So this Victorian of Victorian Origin is now magically a Queenslander. And moves to Queensland, helping weaken the growth of the code in Victoria.
By the way, would you be willing to make a small bet on sixteen year olds playing never NRL ? I’ll even make it easy for you, and say they have to have played NRL in the modern era.
Stuff it. Here he is. Debut at the age of sixteen.
http://www.titans.com.au/playerprofiledisplay/Titans/Jordan%20Rankin/1245
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:46pm
Pot Stirrer said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Mate there no longer allowed to play FG untill thier 18, anyway just go away im sick of trying to have a reasonable debate with you,
July 3rd 2012 @ 4:08pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 4:08pm | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You’ve never started a reasonable debate with me. From your end its been a continual stream of mistuths, half-truths and outright fabrications.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:23am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You’re telling lies again.
See, oh, the recent Souths-Penrith game.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/07/01/south-sydney-rabbitohs-vs-penrith-panthers-nrl-live-scores-blog/
No Inglis. No Jennings. No Lewis. No Grant.
The spectators that paid to see that game had at least a quarter of their entertainment stolen.
Oh, Im not saying you dont need to run a reserves competition like the Sheffield Shield. Im just saying no one cares about it.
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:38am
JasonA said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
To further illustrate the gains made in QLD and NSW and to a lesser extent highlight the AFL’s continual ignorance of Tasmania I will post my Tasmanian State Squad.
The Apple Islanders
B Aaron Joseph Nathan Grima Grant Birchall
HB Marcus Davies Colin Garland Jeromey Webberley
C Jessie Crichton Sam Iles Luke Russell
HF Mitch Robinson Liam Jones Jeremy Howe
F Ian Callinan Jack Riewoldt Aaron Cornelius
R Tom Bellchambers Justin Sherman Maverick Weller
I Sam Lonergan Ryan Harwood Brad Green
S Joshua Green
E Angus Graham Aaron Hall Brodie Moles
July 3rd 2012 @ 11:47am
Ian Whitchurch said | July 3rd 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
JasonA,
When Tasmania decides if an AFL side plays in Hobart or Launceston, then it’ll get a side.
Until then, it gets to timeshare Hawthorn.
Oh yeah, and no love for Mohr in your Tasmanian side ?
July 3rd 2012 @ 3:14pm
JasonA said | July 3rd 2012 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
ah thanks for the heads up, did not know Mohr was Taswegian. Thought he was from Melbourne, being a scorpions product, but hes originally from the isle. I would say he would be in for sure.
July 3rd 2012 @ 12:03pm
Winston said | July 3rd 2012 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Sorry I haven’t done any research on this, but some of the NSW players seem extraordinarily weak. Craig Bird is a fringe player and would seem way too slow to be playing on the wing. Despite LRT’s improvements in the last 5 years, he still can’t mark can’t kick can’t handball can’t run. Phil Davis may well turn into a fine player, but at the moment he is utterly cr@p. McIntosh hasn’t even been playing because he’s been injured. Has Brent Staker done anything recently? What alternatives do we have for these positions?
July 3rd 2012 @ 2:26pm
Brewski said | July 3rd 2012 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
Sydney boys Jarrod Witts and Tom Young from Collingwood are by all accounts going to be good, and there is about 9 NSW/ACT boys from GWS that have played this year, they may have been better players than the ones that have been chosen, on the bench anyway.
Qld teams always have plenty of height.
Witts apparently is Sandilands type proportions.
July 4th 2012 @ 12:07pm
Jaceman said | July 4th 2012 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Bird is a tagger extraordinaire…
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:31pm
Max said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:31pm | Report comment
Yay for another NRL vs AFL bashing
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:49pm
tonysalerno said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
It sounds like a good idea on paper but it wouldn’t work.
After having a look at your teams i think NSW would beat Queensland… Man, i’ve been wanting to say that for the last six years; hopefully tomorrow changes that and the Blues can beat the Maroons.
July 3rd 2012 @ 3:21pm
JasonA said | July 3rd 2012 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
Yeah its all theoretical. It’s just a good way to see how far the game has come in the northern states.
I predict that in 5 – 10 years the QLD and NSW/ACT zones will be twice as strong thanks to the NEAFL and academy systems of the Suns, Lions, Swans and Giants.
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:58pm
Jaceman said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
I note it was a NSW/ACT team which is more accurate than the NRL version. BTW Inglis played senior footy on the Central Coast but magically became a Qlder so it loses nearly all my respect as far as eligibility goes although I will watch it because its Wednesday night with no opposition hence bound to get big numbers. But the club comp does suffer although it gives the NRL the chance to even up the comp by weaker sides playeing the understrength sides during SOO time (Check the draw although the AFL has done something similar with GCS and GWS). However even my super keen NRL mates are over the SOO NSW hype this past week which may mean bigger tears if they lose……
July 3rd 2012 @ 1:59pm
TomC said | July 3rd 2012 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
Simon Black is from Western Australia. He was very young when he left Mount Isa. Not realistic to include him in a QLD SOO side. He’d want to play for WA.
October 30th 2012 @ 6:46pm
Football fan said | October 30th 2012 @ 6:46pm | Report comment
The purose of State of Origin is players get picked from were they were born or where they played most of career as a junoir, you can’t count players just because they play club Football in a State.