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As the State of Origin rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales takes fever pitch in the rugby league, let’s think about what it would be like if the AFL were to revive the concept in the near future.
State of Origin has not been played in the AFL since 1999, however in 2008 a one-off match was played between Victoria and the Dream Team, with Victoria winning the match by 17 points and Brendan Fevola being awarded the Allen Aylett Medal.
The match was a commercial success with 69,294 people attending the match at the MCG and a further 1.3 million viewers tuning in on Channel Ten nationwide.
Since then there has been a lot of debate as to whether the State of Origin concept should be brought back, but despite support from the fans and players, the AFL has repeatedly reiterated that it would not be revived due to the packed calendar.
Anyway, let’s get back on topic and outline my vision for any future AFL State of Origin series.
Teams would be formed out of the five mainland states of Australia (Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland), and players would be selected based on either their junior club or state of birth.
Take Nick Riewoldt as an example – while he was born in Tasmania, he played his junior football in Queensland, which means he would earn selection for that state, and would make as their perfect captain seeing he has led St Kilda since 2008.
Over a six-week period, the five teams would play against each other in a round-robin format lasting five weeks, and then the two best-performed teams would play off in the final for a trophy to honour E.J. Whitten in the sixth week.
Whichever team finishes on top of the ladder (or, in other words, as the best performed team after the round robin stage) would then host the final.
The competition would start in the first weekend of October, which would be the weekend after the AFL grand final, and conclude just in time for the start of the cricket season.
It could have succeeded the NAB Challenge as the means of pre-season match practice, however not only would every ground except Domain Stadium be unavailable due to the cricket, players would also risk carrying an injury into the beginning of the season.
So, without further ado, here are some of the potential AFL State of Origin teams:
Victoria
Backs: Josh Gibson, Dustin Fletcher, Nick Malceski
Halfbacks: Scott D. Thompson, Luke Hodge, Dion Prestia
Centre: Trent Cotchin, Jobe Watson, Scott Pendlebury
Half-forwards: Jarryd Roughead, Travis Cloke, Patrick Dangerfield
Forwards: Tom Lynch*, Jeremy Cameron, Steve Johnson
Followers: Shane Mumford, Joel Selwood (c), Gary Ablett Jr (vc)
Interchange: Josh P Kennedy, Jimmy Bartel, Travis Boak
Substitute: Dyson Heppell* – Tom Lynch from the Gold Coast Suns
Coach: Alastair Clarkson
Assistants: Chris Scott, Ross Lyon
South Australia
Backs: Shannon Hurn (vc), Brian Lake, Corey Enright
Halfbacks: Brodie Smith, Joel Patfull, Shaun Burgoyne
Centre: Jack Redden, Ryan Griffen, Jared Polec
Half-forwards: Bernie Vince, Matthew Pavlich (c), Paul Puopolo
Forwards: Eddie Betts, Jay Schulz, Chad Wingard
Followers: Will Minson, Scott Thompson, Adam Goodes
Interchange: Bryce Gibbs, Lachie Neale, Angus Monfries
Substitute: Luke DunstanCoach: Brenton Sanderson
Assistants: Nathan Buckley, Mark Bickley
Western Australia
Backs: David Swallow, Zac Dawson, Harry Taylor
Halfbacks: Cale Hooker, Luke McPharlin, David Swallow
Centre: Harley Bennell, Matt Priddis (c), Andrew Swallow (vc)
Half-forwards: Mark LeCras, Lance Franklin, Daniel Wells
Forwards: Hayden Ballantyne, Josh J Kennedy, Lewis Jetta
Followers: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Stephen Hill
Interchange: Nic Naitanui, Bradley Hill, Daniel Rich
Substitute: Cam McCarthyCoach: John Worsfold
Assistants: Guy McKenna, Peter Sumich
New South Wales
Backs: Brent Staker, Phil Davis (vc), Dean Terlich
Halfbacks: Matt Suckling, Dane Rampe, Sam Gilbert
Centre: Daniel Cross, Anthony Miles, Brandon Jack
Half-forwards: Craig Bird, Tom Hawkins, Isaac Smith
Forwards: Luke Breust, Taylor Walker, Ben McGlynn
Followers: Hamish McIntosh, Jarrad McVeigh (c), Kieren Jack
Interchange: Jarrod Witts, Isaac Heeney, Adam Schneider
Substitute: Harry CunninghamCoach: John Longmire
Assistants: Lenny Hayes, Wayne Carey
Queensland
Backs: Lee Spurr, Daniel Merrett, Clay Cameron
Halfbacks: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Courtenay Dempsey
Centre: Claye Beams, Josh Thomas, Dayne Zorko
Half-forwards: Andrew Raines, Kurt Tippett, Charlie Dixon (vc)
Forwards: Andrew Boston, Nick Riewoldt (c), Jesse White
Followers: David Hale, Dayne Beams, Rohan Bail
Interchange: Shaun Hampson, David Armitage, Zac Smith
Substitute: Ricky PetterdCoach: Leigh Matthews
Assistants: Michael Voss, Marcus Ashcroft
And this is what the schedule would look like:
Week 1
Game 1: Victoria versus South Australia, MCG, Friday night, 7:50pm
Game 2: Queensland versus New South Wales, Gabba, Saturday night, 6:20pm
Bye: Western Australia
Week 2
Game 3: Western Australia versus Victoria, Domain Stadium, Friday night, 5:40pm
Game 4: South Australia versus Queensland, Adelaide Oval, Saturday night, 6:50pm
Bye: New South Wales
Week 3
Game 5: New South Wales versus Western Australia, SCG, Friday night, 7:50pm
Game 6: Queensland versus Victoria, Gabba, Saturday night, 6:20pm
Bye: South Australia
Week 4
Game 7: South Australia versus Western Australia, Adelaide Oval, Friday night, 7:20pm
Game 8: Victoria versus New South Wales, MCG, Saturday night, 7:20pm
Bye: Queensland
Week 5
Game 9: Western Australia versus Queensland, Domain Stadium, Friday night, 5:40pm
Game 10: New South Wales versus South Australia, SCG, Saturday night, 7:20pm
Bye: Victoria
Week 6
Game 11, final: Team 1 versus Team 2, Team 1’s home ground, Saturday night
Key points
* There are eleven games: ten round-robin matches, and the final.
* Each team plays four games each, two at home and two away.
* No team has a six-day break.
* Because there are five teams, one team must have a bye during any week.
* Whichever team finishes on top of the ladder after the round robin hosts the final.
* Home ground advantage alternates each year, though the fixture will remain the same (e.g. Game 1 would be played in Adelaide the next year, Game 2 in Sydney, etc.)
* All times are in daylight saving local time.
Who do you think would win the AFL State of Origin series that I have proposed, on the basis of the teams that I have formed? Would we see some high-quality matches and who will shine for their teams? And who would make your side if you could form one?
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