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This week, the AFL website ran a piece about State of Origin and how players really like the idea of representative footy.
I think there is a need for representative football.
Yes, I do know our great game is, at its heart, a club game and unless matches are played for premiership points, some people don’t see the point in risking injuries for a showpiece event.
Others say it would be great to see the ‘Big V’ go up against the ‘Croweaters’. Some are unsure but inquisitive about when and where the event would take place, and others are simply against the idea.
But the players would love it, they’ve certainly been a part of it before during the Under-18 Championships and there’s enough state rivalry around for the public to become interested.
Personally, I can’t stand Victorians. They stole the Grand Prix, they’re trying the steal the Tour Down Under (good luck guys, it will never happen), they wouldn’t be able to tell a good drop of wine from a bottle of passion-pop and they pronounce Melbourne, “Malbourne”.
I remember seeing an advert for West End Draught a couple years ago, and it really spoke to me.
The idea was that Victorians are latte-drinking hipsters with ridiculous hair and South Australian’s are down to earth normal folk.
And although I can’t stand West End’s piss-water, I find giving crap to our interstate neighbours endearing.
So while my insults toward Victorians are aimed jokingly, I still think there is enough interest to start up State of Origin again.
But the question’s still remain: who plays who, at which venue, at what time of the year? And that’s the thing.
If poor old Western Australia is left out, I’m sure secession plans will come to the boil again, which isn’t good, because the rest of Australia needs to exploit Western Australia for their resources and give them nowhere near the amount of public funding they deserve!
And where would it be played? The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Football Park, Adelaide Oval?
What game format would take place? It could be just one game between South Australia and Victoria, a best of three series like the rugby league State of Origin or a knockout competition between all states and territories.
It’s hard to make the event a success but still make everyone happy.
Rugby league’s State of Origin is easy to sort out, because Queensland and New South Wales are the two dominant states for rugby league.
But this is a completely different situation.
There’s no doubt that Victoria and South Australia are the biggest footy states, but Western Australia and Tasmania aren’t far off the mark.
When you also look at the increasing popularity of the game in Queensland and New South Wales, it could be feasible to hold a knockout competition between all states and territories.
Sadly for Western Australia however, they might have to miss out on another event again.
The idea that all states can participate is a far-fetched notion and would mean that the competition would drag on far longer than necessary.
The concept of a West versus East game is too American and doesn’t even remotely encapsulate the idea of State of Origin.
There needs to be one game; Victoria versus South Australia, in the middle of the year when all teams are on a mid-year break.
One year it should be held at the MCG and the next year at the Adelaide Oval in rotation.
I’m sure most will agree that when it comes to interstate rivalry in footy, nothing beats Victoria versus South Australia.
The Victoria-South Australia rivalry is akin to an episodic soliloquy involving John Dorian from Scrubs: It’s been great for a long time, it will continue to be great, and it sure as hell never gets old!
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