AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou (R) addresses the media. Slattery Images
Aside from the token gesture that was the Hall of Fame Tribute Match held in 2008, the concept of State of Origin footy has been outside the AFL landscape for over a decade now.
The last true Origin clash was in 1999, when Victoria defeated South Australia by 17 points. In front of only 26,063 fans.
The small turnout at that game, and sub-20,000 crowds in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth the two years previous, gave a clear indication that it was time to push the concept aside for a bit. To be fair, it just had to happen.
But that shouldn’t mean state football should remain in exile.
Even back in ’99, the official line out of the AFL was that an Origin game would not go ahead in 2000 due to the Olympic Games. They never fully shut the door on Origin.
Even now, the door still seems open. Andrew Demetriou said back in 2008 that he didn’t “think we could kill it off,” adding: “We’ve got to consider how it can be best-used, how effective it could be if we have it perhaps on a cycle.”
Since those comments, however, talk of the concept’s return from AFL House has dropped off.
And it’s unfortunate. Because what’s left to stand in the way of Origin’s return?
Perhaps it’s the idea that it will only lead to the same problems that surfaced in the 90s, but how relevant are those problems now?
Interest in state football began to slow around the same as the VFL went national with the introduction of West Coast, Brisbane and Adelaide. Fans all of the sudden had “their” team represented nationally. More importantly, “their” players were playing against the Vics week in, week out.
These days, the argument that a national competition takes away from state football seems far less relevant.
Support is now well and truly divided in South Australia and Western Australia, just like it was in Victoria during Origin’s stronger years, and players are becoming more and more dispersed.
Just look at some of the AFL’s star forwards – Brisbane’s Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola are Victorians, Fremantle’s Matthew Pavlich is a South Australian, St Kilda’s Nick Riewoldt moved to Queensland (from Tasmania) at age nine.
The list goes on. And it will continue to go on, given the amount of transplanted players the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney clubs are going to require.
Of course, the national competition wasn’t the only issue that brought down Origin.
Dermott Brereton’s revelations in his newspaper column a couple of years ago provide an obvious example of the other flaws Origin matches.
“After playing for Victoria twice, I did my best to withdraw from them. I played in nine by the end of my career and probably withdrew from at least four or five,” Brereton wrote.
And his reasoning?
“It was born out of dedication to my club. Why should you risk injury to yourself for a group of teammates you would be trying to decapitate seven days later?”
The former Hawthorn star’s comments contain two important lessons. The first is that Origin in the past has suffered from overexposure. The second is that players are always going to be conscious of injury and the effect their involvement may have on their clubs.
The solution here is to simply learn from the lessons of the past.
If Origin is brought back, there’s no need for it to be held annually. The novelty – for fans and players – will wear off otherwise.
Likewise, there’s no need for it to be held mid-season. The AFL has put a lot of effort into International Rules, which works well enough because of the timing of it all – it’s held after the season’s finished.
Funnily enough, this also suits both players and (footy-starved) fans.
Origin can provide a (non-hybrid) representative form of the game. It can provide a way to expand the AFL calendar. It can provide an opportunity for rival fans to watch a game supporting the same team. It can provide a homecoming opportunity for players who’ve moved interstate. It can provide further talking points for the media.
Perhaps more importantly, it can provide the return of the Big V, the Croweaters and Sandgropers to the elite level.
Giving the concept a break had to happen. But maybe bringing it back does too?
Hilditch out!
Guest
Leave SOO to league, it needs a phoney promotion vehicle to make it mainstream because it's club teams do not attract the passion AFL clubs do. You DO NOT WANT your players getting injured in this exhibition format. It counts for little. It was okay in the era before the national league setup when you had the WAFL, SANFL and VFL vying to see who was the premier producer of talent.
Don
Guest
I always have a laugh about the AFL trying to find new ways to give the World Champions from Geelong another level to aspire to. While waiting for the World Cup vs. South Africa, Dubai and Shanghai is on hold, I think Blondes vs. Brunettes or Blue Eyes vs. the Rest would take the game to new meaningful heights.
AA
Guest
Fully support the return of this concept to the AFL. Been championing this idea for a while.
Charlie
Guest
SA,WA,VIC and the interstate all strars. Players that wish to play for there state can, as opposed to playing in the NAB cup which is a joke. I love the game of footy but watching second rate footy before the start of the regular season is another thing. Being 29 years of age I loved watching the state of origin when I was a nipper. Not only you got to see the best of the best you saw how beautiful the game can be played. Bring back the state of origin, give us WCE supporters something to look foward to this year.
Jonathan
Guest
One of the problems AFL has with Origin is the fact that the sport is far more diversified than League. In League you can pretty much guarantee that you'll be seeing the best players when NSW-QLD turn out but in an AFL version any game between two sides will inevitably leave some of the best players on the sidelines. Even taking the big three (SA, WA and Victoria) into account will be excluding some of the games best, like Nick Riewoldt and Cyril Rioli, and many of the best players of the past 20 years have been from outside these traditional Aussie Rules states - Wayne Carey, Paul Kelly, Shane Crawford, James Hird, Micheal Long, Micheal Voss, Matthew Richardson and Nathan Buckley just to name a few. Another issue you have is the fact that Origin is only a big draw when you're playing Victoria. I'd love to see it re-introduced in some form; I remember attending the 1986 SOO game at Subi between WA and Victoria and it was the best, highest quality game I ever saw (won by a magnificent WA team by 3 points). Maybe in a carnival format, with a qualifying comp for the lesser states played once every four years to make it special. The Qualifiers could be played the previous year maybe Year One: Group One Victoria South Australia Western Australia and one of NSW, ACT, QLD, TAS, NT who play qualifiers. The qualifying team plays the home team while the other two group teams play each other. Lets say the qualifier is Tassie and the carnival is in Adelaide. SA V TAS WA V VIC SA and VIC WIN and play in the final. WA plays TAS and the loser goes back into qualifiers.
Beaver fever
Guest
What exactly am i wrong about roman and just what are the facts, i await you to set me straight.
Roman
Guest
Your wrong again Beaver fever I love football its Aussie Rules that I dont like - I was picked to play Aussie Rules in the school boys country (thats rural country not Australian) I have played both and I can troll where I like and if you dont like the facts - AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou is the biggest BS out.
Beaver fever
Guest
Fair enough that you dont like football, but try your trolling on other sites. Seen you post the same thing several times, smacks of cultural cringe that because a sport lacks a international face it is not worthy of support.
Brian
Guest
There are two underltying reasons why there's no SOO 1. If the competition is fair dinkum the Vics will win easily (Vic populations has grown a lot faster than SA since 1980s) so where is the interest in that? 2. There is no time to play it. Post season is not an option if its fair dinkum. Even if Gary Ablett celebrated his GF win with some glasses of water those who missed the finals would be waiting 5 weeks for a couple of games
Roman
Guest
Thank god that the All Australian Team havent got a country to play against that would just make it even more difficult for an AFL SoO event.
Jason Cave
Guest
After all, can you imagine ie WA v Vic; Lance Franklin is playing for WA and Matthew Scarlett is representing the big V. The ball goes down the WA forward line, Franklin is tackled from behind by Scarlett, bang Franklin does his knee, out 12 months. Then how will Hawthorn have to explain to their supporters & sponsors why their no.1 player is out for an extended period. And it would probably cost the Hawks in the long run too. Yet this scenario happened in the 1989 State of Origin between Victoria & South Australia at the MCG. Early in the third quarter, SA's Tony Hall was tackled from behind by Victoria's Andy Collins-and both Hall and Collins were playing for Hawthorn in the then VFL home & away comp. Hall did his knee, was out for 12 months, and wasn't the same player again even after appearing for the Adelaide Crows towards the end of his career.
Redb
Roar Guru
There will be always be a bit more passion from the smaller states, happens in the RL version as well with QLD. I think the Big V though will get tonnes of support, younger fans are far more parochial. The Bushrangers are re-building the Big V along with Melb Victory. Bring back the biggest Big V. Redb
Redb
Roar Guru
Michael D, Totally agree would love to see AFL SOO back in a Vic v SA or WA format, perhaps every 2 years. Post season makes more sense as any injuries can be recovered from in the pre season. The AFL will need full club support first though. Redb
Michael C
Roar Guru
BaT, his statement is obvioiusly silly when we consider that those 18 couples are all opposing players, X vs Y, side by side, across the field, it is actually the Rugby scenario of 2 opposing forces on opposite sides of the paddock that lacks direct accountability, and the RL scenario that lacks direct contest for possession, so much of RL is uncontested, even the RU guys recognise this and have been trying to push this 'line' in Melbourne to promote the coming of the Rebels, anyway, in Aust footy, there's field wide 'contests' and 360 degree collissions in Aust Footy that RL fellows would have zero comprehension of from their own on field experiences.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Jimbo - the first 'Association Football' match. Congrats on using disambiguous terminology!!! For the record - Jimbo, twas not 'interstate', but, twas 'intercolonial', and 1 July 1879 - First representative intercolonial football, which got underway in Melbourne (Vic def SA by 7 goals to 0). 1879 and 1881, Victoria met South Australia twice per season, winning all six encounters easily, (aggregate tally of 32 goals to just 5.
"Yes that emotion can exist in AFL but with 18 couples spaced out across the oval its not as suited as in league with the tackles and collisions to get the state emotions worked up." Tackles and collisions occur in football matches, which you seem to infer exist only in league. You suggest the structure of league (line of scrimmage) is conducive to "confrontational passion", or at least more so than other sports which lack similar structure. Nothing you have written so far confirms this hypothesis.
jimbo
Guest
Fair enough, but the article and discussion is about State of Origin and not just interstate games - but we digress again and argue about which code is better. :) By the way, the first interstate football matches were in 1883 - the first interstate Rugby match in Brisbane; Queensland beating NSW 12-11 at Eagle Farm Racecourse and the first Association Football match also in 1883 was played between Victoria and NSW on Parramatta Common in Sydney, won 5-3 by Victoria.
Foxy Loxy
Guest
Never thought of it like that. You're right. Australian rules didn't give rugby league the idea of the two states playing each other --- they had been doing that every year since the code began. They just changed the selection rules. I think I read somewhere or was it Johnny Gibbs on 2UE said that in the early years of league's Origin that NSW were still choosing some of the Queensland players at Sydney clubs on the old method of residency.
Sam el Perro
Roar Pro
To be accurate, they didn't establish a series, which had been taking place since the first decade of the 20th century, they merely agitated for a change of selection rules.
Sam el Perro
Roar Pro
Pedantry: Getting "back to the future", if we re-examine the source material (the 1985 film) is actually a good thing. It is that which is necessary to be done! Back on topic: All of Australia clearly hasn't moved on (yet?) if the interstate concept is so popular in Queensland and NSW. Might I suggest that you spend some time in Queensland (especially regional Queensland, which constitutes the majority of its population) to discover just how deeply rooted the concept of State identity is.